If a patient goes in for an X-ray or CT scan these days, that image is increasingly likely to be analyzed by artificial intelligence. But a growing category of algorithms is being used not just to help radiologists interpret images, but to catch hidden signals within them.

The Food and Drug Administration has cleared several AI algorithms to flag “incidental” findings like pulmonary embolisms, calcifications in arteries, and low bone density in scans captured for other reasons. Together, they signal a future in which radiologists can make more out of the mounds of images they’ve already collected — and possibly identify problems before they become life-threatening.

This kind of opportunistic screening has been a goal in radiology for decades but is rarely implemented at scale. “As long

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