Objective To compare the cost-effectiveness before and after using an artificial intelligence gastroscopy-assisted system for early gastric cancer screening. Methods The gastroscopy cases before (non-AI group) and after (AI group) the use of artificial intelligence gastroscopy-assisted system were retrospectively collected in Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University from January 1, 2017 to February 28, 2022. The proportion of early gastric cancer among all gastric cancer was analyzed. Costs were estimated based on the standards of Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University and the 2021 edition of Wuhan Disease Diagnosis-related Group Payment Standards. Cost-effectiveness analysis was conducted per 100 thousand cases with and without the system. And the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio was calculated. Results For the non-AI group, the proportion of early gastric cancer among all gastric cancer was 28.81% (70/243). The cost of gastroscopy screening per 100 thousand was 54 598.0 thousand yuan, early gastric treatment cost was 221.8 thousand yuan, and a total cost was 54 819.8 thousand yuan. The direct effectiveness was 894.2 thousand yuan, the indirect effectiveness was 1 828.2 thousand yuan and the total effectiveness was 2 722.4 thousand yuan per 100 thousand cases. For the AI group, the early gastric cancer diagnositic rate was 36.56%(366/1 001), where gastroscopy cost was 53 440.0 thousand yuan, early gastric treatment cost 315.8 thousand yuan, the total cost 53 755.8 thousand yuan. The direct effectiveness was 1 273.5 thousand yuan, indirect effectiveness 2 603.1 thousand yuan and the total effectiveness 3 876.6 thousand yuan per 100 thousand cases. The use of the system reduced the cost of early gastric cancer screening by 1 064.0 thousand yuan, and increased the benefit by 1 154.2 thousand yuan per 100 thousand cases. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio was -0.92. Conclusion The use of artificial intelligence gastroscopy-assisted system for gastric early cancer screening can reduce medical costs as well as improve the efficiency of screening, and it is recommended for gastroscopy screening.