KENNESAW, Ga. | Oct 16, 2026

An artificial intelligence (AI) system can help identify heart problems from electrocardiograms (ECGs), tests that record the heart’s electrical activity to help doctors diagnose heart conditions. However, doctors may not always be able to interpret the information generated.

Kennesaw State University researcher Sagnik Dakshit is working to bridge that gap. An assistant professor of information technology in the College of Computing and Software Engineering, Dakshit received a $145,000 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to help develop AI tools to analyze ECGs. His goal is to make the technology’s findings easier to understand and more useful in patient care.

AI systems can learn to recognize patterns in ECGs, but the reasons behind their findings are often unclear. Even when an explanation is available, it may make more sense to a computer scientist than a doctor.

“We as computer scientists can interpret it, but when I show it to a doctor, it’s meaningless because that's not how they operate,” Dakshit explained. “So, our goal is to take those explanations and align it better to the clinical terminology so that it’s more interpretable and actually helps the doctors.”

Working with clinicians at the University of Texas at Tyler School of Medicine, Dakshit also plans to address a shortage of training examples for rare heart conditions. The team plans to use medical knowledge to create artificial ECG samples that could help AI learn to recognize those unusual patterns.

Another goal is to help the system flag when it is uncertain and needs a doctor’s review, potentially reducing incorrect results.

In the long term, Dakshit sees AI as a tool that will help doctors review ECGs more quickly and identify cases that need urgent attention.

“Expert involvement from a clinician is a must,” he said. “The goal is to give doctors clearer information they can weigh alongside their own experience when making decisions about patients.”

– Story by Christin Senior

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A leader in innovative teaching and learning, Kennesaw State University offers undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degrees to its more than 51,000 students. Kennesaw State is a member of the University System of Georgia with 11 academic colleges. The university's vibrant campus culture, diverse population, strong global ties, and entrepreneurial spirit draw students from throughout the country and the world. Kennesaw State is a Carnegie-designated doctoral research institution (R2), placing it among an elite group of only 8 percent of U.S. colleges and universities with an R1 or R2 status. For more information, visit kennesaw.edu.