AI Saving lives in South Africa.

Artificial Intelligence can write emails, create images and answer questions.

But that's not the exciting part.

AI is increasingly being used to help doctors detect disease faster.

And some of that work is happening right here in South Africa.

A Pretoria-based team has developed an AI-powered system that can analyse chest X-rays for lung abnormalities, including signs associated with tuberculosis (TB), in as little as 45 seconds.

The AI doesn't replace the doctor.

Instead, it analyses an X-ray and highlights areas that may require attention, helping healthcare professionals identify potential problems faster.

The technology is already being used in South Africa and other countries, including in programmes and studies focused on detecting TB and other lung diseases.

It has even been used nearly four kilometres underground to screen South African mine workers for occupational lung diseases.

And this is only the beginning.

Around the world, AI is being researched and deployed to assist healthcare professionals with medical imaging, disease detection, treatment decisions and the analysis of huge amounts of medical data.

The World Health Organization already recognises computer-aided detection as an important tool in TB screening, with six software products meeting WHO performance standards for screening adults using chest X-rays.

For Africa, technologies like these could be particularly powerful.

Specialist doctors and advanced medical facilities aren't equally accessible everywhere. Technology that helps healthcare professionals analyse information faster could bring sophisticated diagnostic support closer to communities that need it.