To buy or not to buy-evaluating commercial AI solutions in radiology (the ECLAIR guidelines)

Artificial intelligence (AI) has made impressive progress over the past few years, including many applications in medical imaging. Numerous commercial solutions based on AI techniques are now available for sale, forcing radiology practices to learn how to properly assess these tools. While several guidelines describing good practices for conducting and reporting AI-based research in medicine and radiology have been published, fewer efforts have focused on recommendations addressing the key questions to consider when critically assessing AI solutions before purchase. Commercial AI solutions are typically complicated software products, for the evaluation of which many factors are to be considered. In this work, authors from academia and industry have joined efforts to propose a practical framework that will help stakeholders evaluate commercial AI solutions in radiology (the ECLAIR guidelines) and reach an informed decision. Topics to consider in the evaluation include the relevance of the solution from the point of view of each stakeholder, issues regarding performance and validation, usability and integration, regulatory and legal aspects, and financial and support services.

Automated summary

In recent years, artificial intelligence has made significant progress in medical imaging, leading to the availability of numerous commercial AI solutions that require careful assessment before purchase. The ECLAIR guidelines proposed by authors from academia and industry offer a practical framework to help stakeholders evaluate commercial AI solutions in radiology, addressing factors such as relevance, performance, validation, usability, integration, regulatory aspects, and financial considerations.