ECR gathers 25,000 in Vienna with focus firmly on AI

Artificial Intelligence (AI) was front and centre at the European Radiology Congress (ECR) at the Austria Center Vienna, 28 February-3 March. The latest technologies were presented under the motto ‘Next generation radiology’ and, once again, the ECR proved it was one of the largest scientific congresses in Europe, with around 25,000 participants attending. In a plenary lecture entitled ‘Radiology, AI, and the Analog-Digital Frontier’, Rick Abramson, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, USA, demonstrated the current applications and limitations of AI by employing the services of Ave, his AI assistant, live on stage, to discuss a fracture on a scan. “We see AI helping overworked and understaffed departments by expediting care, both in traditional workflows and in novel workflows that would not have been possible prior to the introduction of AI,” he said. Clearly, AI can be a game-changing tool in public health, screening populations for infectious disease and early cancers. Creative standards were kept high at the congress: from the elaborate opening ceremony to individually designed exhibition and workshop areas, to the spectacular entrance hall. The central meeting point and photo spots were key areas where a whole own world of experience was created. Technologies such as AI and chatbots offer great opportunities for the new generation of radiologists, e.g. in the early detection of diseases and in linking large amounts of data, and the full programme of sessions and many photos can be viewed at the congress site here. Next year’s ECR will take a brave step into the Planet Radiology with a special focus on radiology’s impact on the world around us. ECR 2025 will take place 26 February-2 March in Vienna. Photo: acv.at / Manzano Images:  ©-sLkphoto.at_Kreuzberger_Sebastian-1-7