Alibaba's Free AI Reads Your CT Scan in Seconds and Spots Cancer in 18 Organs
Alibaba has released a free, open-source artificial intelligence model that detects cancer and over 150 other medical conditions by reading contrast-enhanced CT scans in seconds.
The tool checks 18 organs in the abdomen and can identify malignant tumors, matching expert radiologists at interpreting abdominal CT scans according to a separate study.
Alibaba has released a free, open-source artificial intelligence (AI) model that detects cancer and more than 150 other medical conditions, the company announced. The tool reads contrast-enhanced CT scans — detailed images taken after a patient receives a special dye that makes organs easier to see — and checks 18 organs in the abdomen, the area between the chest and hips [244692].
According to Alibaba, the model can identify a wide range of diseases and abnormalities, including malignant tumors. Malignant means cancerous and able to spread. Open-source means the company has shared the technology publicly, so other developers and researchers can use it, study it, or improve it at no cost [244692].
The announcement did not say when the model might be used in hospitals or whether regulators have approved it [244692].
The news comes alongside a study published in Science (Volume 393, Issue 6817, September 2026) showing that a separate "generalist" AI system can interpret abdominal CT scans as accurately as expert radiologists. A generalist AI handles many different diagnostic tasks rather than just one. Abdominal CT scans are detailed X-ray images used to detect conditions in organs such as the liver, kidneys, and pancreas, and reading them requires years of training [244456].
The study suggests such AI could support doctors by reading scans quickly and reliably, pointing to a growing role for AI in medical imaging. Experts say human oversight remains essential [244456].