Icelandic Healthcare Engineer Helps Bring AI to US Hospitals

2026-01-28 - 10:42

An Icelandic healthcare engineer is part of a team using artificial intelligence to support medical diagnosis and administrative tasks in one of the United States’ largest hospital networks. Kristjana Ósk Kristinsdóttir, 29, works at Northwestern Medicine in Chicago, where advanced computing tools are being integrated into clinical routines. As reported by RÚV, Kristjana highlighted the potential for AI in healthcare during an interview on the Kastljós radio show. What's the Story? Icelandic healthcare engineer at Northwestern Medicine in Chicago highlights artificial intelligence tools in hospital settings Algorithms in development to analyse X-rays and CT scans and generate draft reports AI model being developed to flag colon polyps during colonoscopy Emphasis on human oversight alongside AI systems Photo: IO Health. CC. Diagnosis And Workload “Many of the challenges we face in the healthcare system can be solved with artificial intelligence and technology,” Kristjana stated during the interview. “We need to be incredibly careful, this is a sensitive area but these are absolutely ideal conditions for artificial intelligence because there is so much data and artificial intelligence thrives on data.” She described work on algorithms that assist with imaging interpretation. One project under development can generate initial reports and provide radiologists with a structured starting point. “Our biggest project right now is an algorithm that can read both X-rays and CT scans, analyse them, and write a report based on them.” The system being trialled across Northwestern’s 11-hospital network has shown efficiency gains in real-world use, with AI-generated draft reports helping radiologists complete documentation faster while maintaining quality. Kristjana also outlined efforts using AI models to flag colon polyps during colonoscopy, aiming to reduce missed findings. “During colonoscopy, what this model does is flag these polyps, so this can be a great tool to make sure that this doesn’t happen to anyone.”