AI in ENT (Otorhinolaryngology)
ENT AI is spread across subspecialties: ear imaging and otoscopy, hearing devices, endoscopy, voice analysis and head and neck cancer imaging. An AI otoscope for eardrum bulging has FDA authorisation, and AI hearing aids are on sale. Most other uses are research, and clinical validation is thin.
What AI does in ENT (Otorhinolaryngology)
On-device networks reduce noise and sharpen speech.
Examples: Phonak Infinio
AI reads otoscope video to flag acute otitis media signs such as a bulging drum.
Examples: TytoCare Tyto Insights for ENT, hearScope
Image-guided and robotic aids for sinus and skull-base surgery.
Examples: Vendor navigation systems
Detection and outlining of tumours on CT and MRI, and prediction of response.
Examples: Academic models
Detects lesions on endoscopy and voice pathology from recordings.
Examples: Academic models
Scores trainee technique from video. A 2025 systematic review covers this.
Examples: Academic tools
routine = in everyday use in many centres · early adoption = in use at some sites, evidence still building · research = studies only
Key ideas for this specialty
New to the basics? Start with the theory lessons.
Tools
AI analysis of otoscopy videos to detect eardrum bulging in patients aged six months and older.
Regulatory status: FDA De Novo
Hearing aids with onboard neural-network noise processing.
Regulatory status: Not listed
Open model for segmenting medical images; try it on CT of sinuses or neck.
Regulatory status: Not listed
A listing here is not an endorsement. Ask any vendor for its CDSCO licence and class before clinical use.
Where to learn
Subspecialty tour of current ENT AI.
Three courses on image diagnosis, prognosis and treatment models. Needs basic Python.
No-maths introduction to what AI can and cannot do. Good first step.
India's own ethics framework. Useful before you plan a thesis using AI.
Talks and symposium recordings on medical AI.
Task-force view on benefits, ethics and gaps in ENT AI.
Do it yourself
Ask a chatbot five questions on a topic such as tympanoplasty. Mark each answer against your standard textbook. Keep a log of errors.
Open the dataset or tool →Use a public, de-identified CT slice. Box the maxillary sinus and compare the outline with your own.
Open the dataset or tool →Use public or properly de-identified data only, and get ethics approval before any project on your own patients.
Papers worth reading
- American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery (AAO-HNS) Report on Artificial Intelligence Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, 2024
- Artificial Intelligence in Otology, Rhinology, and Laryngology: A Narrative Review of Its Current and Evolving Picture Cureus, 2024
- Our Otolaryngology Future With Artificial Intelligence Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, 2024
Societies and guidance
Published a task-force report on AI in otolaryngology.
Links checked 3 October 2026. “Not listed” means we could not confirm the detail, not that it is absent. Educational material, not clinical advice.