Cerebrospinal fluid leaks, caused by tears or holes in the spinal cord, are rare and difficult to identify. Because symptoms are not uncommon—including nausea, sore throats, ringing in the ears, and debilitating postural headaches—patients can go years without a proper diagnosis. Some were told they had allergies.

As in a growing number of medical fields, artificial intelligence can change the way such diseases are detected and treated – increasing accuracy, saving money and, in many cases, drastically improving lives. While most AI-enabled devices approved by US regulators today are diagnostics, the technology’s potential uses in healthcare are vast, from automating tedious administrative tasks to accelerating drug discovery. According to some estimates, the widespread adoption of AI could save up to $360 billion in annual healthcare costs.