By examining CT scans, researchers from Mass General Brigham and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs have created an artificial intelligence (AI) tool called AI-CAC that can identify hidden heart disease risk. With almost 90% accuracy, it can detect coronary artery calcium (CAC), a significant factor in heart attack risk and long-term mortality. After being trained on a sizable dataset of CT scans from veterans, the tool discovered a strong correlation between high CAC scores and an elevated risk of death over a ten-year period. AI-CAC may assist physicians in identifying at-risk patients early and directing care toward prevention by repurposing existing scans that were initially obtained for other purposes, such as lung cancer screening.