AI can now tell individual cells apart, even when they look identical

Researchers have developed a new AI model that can identify individual cells, even when they are densely packed and look very similar. This means the AI can distinguish one cell from another, rather than just identifying a general area of cells.

For years, AI has struggled to tell apart objects that look almost identical, especially in crowded images like cell samples. This new method allows AI to learn the unique 'identity' of each object, even if its shape and texture are nearly the same as its neighbors. This could make automated analysis of biological samples much more precise, moving beyond simple counts to tracking individual cells.