Aim Regular screening of large number of people with diabetes for diabetic retinopathy (DR) with the support of available human resources alone is a global challenge. Digital health innovation is a boon in screening for DR. Multiple artificial intelligence (AI)-based deep learning (DL) algorithms have shown promise for accurate diagnosis of referable DR (RDR). The aim of this review is to evaluate the use of AI for DR screening and the various currently available automated DR detection algorithms.