Abstract:〔Abstract〕 Objective To compare the effect of manual and artificial intelligence film reading in the diagnosis of early lung cancer. Methods Sixty-five patients with suspected lung cancer who underwent lung computed tomography (CT) examination in Ganzhou People's Hospital from June 2020 to June 2021 were selected as the research objects. CT examination results of patients were reviewed by radiologists and artificial intelligence system.The time, diagnostic efficacy and consistency with the gold standard (pathological examination or surgical results) of the two methods were compared. Results The average tablet reading time of artificial intelligence for each patient was (0.62 ± 0.13) min, which was shorter than that of manual tablet reading (4.83 ± 0.34) min, the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). The sensitivity, negative predictive value, accuracy and consistency with gold standard of artificial intelligence film reading were all lower than manual film reading, and the differences were statistically significant (P < 0.05). Conclusion Compared with manual film reading, the time of artificial intelligence film reading is significantly faster, but the diagnostic efficiency is lower. Clinical combination of the two methods of film reading can effectively improve the diagnostic efficiency of early lung cancer.