Brittany Barreto, Ph.D., is a podcaster, entrepreneur, and molecular and human geneticist. (In other words, she’s really smart.) Read her column to learn what’s happening in the world of women’s health technology and innovation.
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer just for nerds. It is changing the way we deal with breast cancer, from predicting who is at risk to detecting disease earlier to personalizing treatment. By reviewing images with incredible precision and processing massive amounts of patient data, AI can help assess disease risk, guide diagnoses and suggest which treatments might work best. In breast cancer, this means having the right test or therapy at the right time, leading to better results and fewer unnecessary treatments.
Predicting Who’s at Risk: Gabbi
(Photo/Courtesy of Gabbi)
There are free breast cancer risk assessment tools online that many women find helpful and that doctors also use. The Brem Foundation’s CheckMate calculator and the Gail model offered through the Susan G. Komen website are well respected and easily accessible online.
These questionnaires use personal and family history and other risk factors to estimate a woman’s risk of developing breast cancer. These tools are based on traditional statistics. Your equations are based on established formulas that don’t change the more you use the tool. This is where AI-based models come into play. Because they get smarter every time someone uses them, they can provide a more advanced way to assess risk by analyzing larger and more diverse data sets.
One company using AI to improve prevention is Gabbi, which offers an online survey that estimates a woman’s risk of breast cancer in just a few minutes. The Gabbi Risk Assessment Model (GRAM) proved to be an accurate prediction tool, using a data set of more than 3.6 million people.
Unlike older models, GRAM includes women ages 18 and older and more women of color, making it more inclusive. This is how Gabbi works:
- Take a two-minute online assessment to get your GRAM score
- If necessary, schedule a virtual visit with a breast health expert to create a care plan
- Gabbi’s breast health experts will promptly schedule any necessary imaging or exam appointments
- Receive ongoing support from a care concierge
“I know firsthand how devastating late-stage breast cancer can be. My mother’s cancer went undetected until it was too late and I was diagnosed at just 24 years old,” said Kaitlin Christine, founder and CEO of Gabbi. “I founded Gabbi to change that – to give women the tools for prevention and early detection so that fewer families have to suffer this loss.”
While Gabbi hasn’t published peer-reviewed data and hasn’t been approved by the FDA, more than 50,000 women have used the tool to date. Of 1,000 patients examined, four women were diagnosed with breast cancer, often earlier than usual.
The cost of Gabbi may vary. Gabbi is affiliated with multiple insurance plans and the evaluation is sometimes covered by an office visit with a referring provider.
If you pay out of pocket without insurance, the self-assessment costs $49.99. Virtual visits, if not covered by your insurance, cost $170 for the first visit and $130 thereafter. You can pay for all Gabbi services using your HSA and FSA funds.
Mammography risk prediction: Clairity Breast
iStock.com/mik38
In June 2025, the FDA granted de novo approval (the first of its kind) for Clairity Breast, the first approved AI tool to predict a woman’s risk of developing breast cancer within five years using only a standard mammogram. Unlike traditional risk models based on age, family history or self-reported questionnaires, Clairity Breast analyzes the mammogram itself.
Clairity’s AI scans the images for subtle features in the breast tissue that are invisible to the human eye or not yet recognized by medicine as warning signs. These patterns can provide information about a woman’s likelihood of developing breast cancer, even if her mammogram appears normal. The result is a validated five-year risk score that can help healthcare providers offer personalized follow-up care, such as: B. earlier check-ups, preventive medications or genetic counseling before signs of disease become visible.
Clairity continues to work with insurance providers to ensure coverage. So stay tuned to know more about the insurance coverage and cost of this tool. The technology is expected to be available to HCPs in the fourth quarter of 2025.
Use AI to keep mammogram schedules on track
AI can also help solve a practical challenge: ensuring women don’t miss their mammograms. By analyzing electronic health records, AI can flag patients who are overdue for screening and even prioritize women at higher risk.
But AI tools can do more than just identify women who are overdue for a mammogram. They can also predict obstacles such as transportation or scheduling conflicts; Send personalized reminders via SMS, email or phone. provide information in multiple languages; and flag high-risk patients so they can be followed up more quickly after screening.
A recent study showed that AI-based patient navigators can successfully re-engage patients who had missed other preventive exams, such as colonoscopies, by identifying and removing barriers such as transportation or medical mistrust. At least one AI model for colon cancer prevention should also be tested for breast cancer. This approach saves clinics time, helps women stay on top of their care, and can catch cancers that might otherwise have been missed.
AI in breast cancer treatment planning
Beyond risk and screening, AI is also changing the way breast cancer is treated. For example, it can predict how a tumor will respond to different therapies, helping doctors choose the most effective option from the start. A recent article published in Nature showed that combining clinical and biological data with AI can improve predictions of how well patients will respond to therapy.
AI also designs more precise radiation therapy plans that protect healthy tissue by improving accuracy and detecting when women with early-stage cancer can safely avoid unnecessary treatments. Researchers report that using this type of AI-assisted radiation therapy planning can also save experts time.
Additionally, AI improves accuracy in the laboratory and operating room. It can analyze pathology slides to more precisely detect cancer markers such as HER-2. AI also helps surgeons by predicting whether cancer has spread to lymph nodes and more clearly defining tumor margins using deep learning models capable of predicting lymph node metastases from pre-surgery mammograms.
By combining real-world data from medical records, lab results, and patient-reported outcomes, AI can further refine and personalize care when used by an experienced healthcare professional.
The Future of Breast Cancer Care
AI is still new, but its impact is already being felt. From Gabbi’s early risk assessments to Clairity Breast’s groundbreaking FDA approval, AI is transforming breast cancer treatment from reactive to proactive. The goal is simple: to provide the right care to the right woman at the right time.
As these tools become more widely available, women around the world can benefit from earlier diagnosis, more personalized treatment and better outcomes. AI won’t replace healthcare professionals – and their clinical judgment – but it can help them save more lives.
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