In today’s digital health world, artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming the way we approach diagnosis, treatment and patient care. AI in healthcare has emerged as a revolutionary force, building applications ranging from predictive analytics for disease diagnosis to optimising treatment plans for patients.
According to MarketsandMarkets’ recent report, the AI in healthcare market is projected to reach USD 102.7 Bn by 2028 growing at a CAGR of 47.6% from 2023 to 2028. Riding on this AI revolution wave, Google is seizing the opportunity to make significant strides in healthcare AI.
In this article, we will explore Google’s recent strides in healthcare AI that are redefining the boundaries of medical innovation.
Google’s AI-assisted ultrasound for breast cancer detection and maternal care
Breast cancer is the second leading cause of death in women across the globe. Its early detection can reduce mortalities and improve healthcare outcomes. However, expensive and non-portable ultrasound devices and the requirement of trained professionals to operate them make early screening inaccessible to a vast majority of the population.
A similar situation is seen with maternal care. Inaccessible screening is a leading cause of high maternal mortality rates in Sub-Saharan Africa.
To address this issue and bridge the gap, Google is developing AI-powered ultrasound for early breast cancer detection and maternal care. It is working on portable, low-cost and easy-to-operate ultrasound devices that don’t require much technical know-how.
Furthermore, the tech giant has collaborated with Chang Gung Memorial Hospital in Taiwan to explore the use and efficiency of ultrasound for breast cancer detection.
It has also collaborated with TensorFlow Lite, an open-source framework to run machine learning models on mobile and edge devices, to build AI models to predict gestational age and foetal presentation. This will allow health workers with no expertise in ultrasonography to collect clinically useful ultrasound scans and interpret them, improving maternal care and safety in remote settings.
Using Google Lens to search for skin conditions
It’s hard to describe skin allergies, rashes and other conditions in words, making it difficult to self-examine them using the Internet. Lens, Google’s visual search tool, can help you uncover the mysterious rash or mole with AI-powered visual search.
Clicking the picture or uploading it through Lens allows the user to search for visually related skin conditions. It also helps you search for a bump on the lips or even loss of hair on the head.
Google’s AI-powered tool to read X-rays and answer patient questions
Google recently launched Med-Palm2 at its annual Google I/O conference. Unlike GPT and Bard, Med-Palm is a generative AI tool that can answer medical exam-level questions with clinician accuracy.
The tool can also describe X-rays and help doctors improve the quality of diagnosis and treatment outcomes. While the tool cannot replace doctors, Google is working to improve the model for safety, bias and helpfulness.
Note: While Med-Palm2 can accurately answer medical questions, the tool is not being released to the general public. Rather, it will be used as an AI tool to assist doctors, improving patient outcomes.
Partnering with healthcare AI startups to improve care outcomes
The AI revolution has led to the building of startups that use AI to advance the healthcare field. From assisting doctors in early disease detection to advancing healthcare research, startups are using AI to solve healthcare problems.
Google is partnering with such startups to help them build AI tools responsibly. The tech giant launched its Google for Startups Growth Academy AI for health program for startups based in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
Under this program, selected seed to Series A startups will learn and partner closely with Google and industry experts to drive responsible development of AI solutions and scale in the health industry.
Parting words
AI has made remarkable progress with breakthroughs in machine learning, deep learning and natural language processing. These advancements are empowering AI systems to address complex-data-driven challenges of healthcare with unprecedented accuracy.
As big tech companies like Google recognize the transformative potential of AI in healthcare, they are investing heavily in research, partnerships and product development to stay at the forefront of this AI revolution.
By harnessing the power of AI, these companies are tackling long-standing healthcare challenges, improving patient outcomes and driving overall industry transformation.
