A $25 AI-assisted screening tool developed by Alibaba has successfully helped doctors detect early-stage pancreatic cancer, highlighting a growing contrast between China’s and the U.S.’s approaches to artificial intelligence.

The AI model, named DAMO PANDA, was developed by researchers at Alibaba’s DAMO Academy. Since November 2014, it has analyzed over 180,000 CT scans at a hospital in Ningbo, China, detecting 24 cases of pancreatic cancer, including 14 at an early stage that might otherwise have been missed. The screening combines standard CT scans with AI analysis at a cost of just $25 per test.

The development attracted significant attention on social media in the U.S., with hundreds of comments posted on The New York Times website, which ran a full-page report on the tool on January 2. One widely liked comment said: “China is taking a different AI path: solving real-world problems.” Another read: “China once again outshines the U.S. We use AI to replace jobs or create virtual companions, while China uses AI to detect tumors that can still be treated.”