But it cannot detect heart disease. That requires an echocardiogram, a type of ultrasound scan, which patients often have to wait months for.

Now a team have developed an AI tool that can spot signs of heart failure and heart valve disease – two of the most common forms of heart disease – from ECG results in “the blink of an eye”.

The tech cannot be used on its own to definitively diagnose or rule out heart failure or heart valve disease, but it gives a very strong indication someone may have them.

Someone judged as highly likely to have either could be sent rapidly for an echocardiogram, rather than wait months on the standard waiting lists. That could mean a quicker diagnosis which would enable them to start treatment earlier.

Maybe it's just pessimistic of me but I could also see this being used to make it harder to actually get the definitive test if the AI doesn't notice your heart problems on the first pass, like the insurance won't approve it or something like that