Google gives a sneak peek into its AI initiatives for healthcare

Google Health has shared new areas of AI-related research and development and how the tech giant is providing clinicians with easy-to-use tools to care for patients at The Check Up event. 

Here are the latest updates:

1. Smartphone cameras’ potential to protect cardiovascular health and preserve eyesight: Google’s earliest Health AI projects, ARDA, aims to help address screenings for diabetic retinopathy. The tech giant’s recent research look at detecting diabetes-related diseases from photos of the exterior of the eye, using existing tabletop cameras in clinics. Google is doubling down on clinical research with partners, including EyePACS and Chang Gung Memorial Hospital to understand if photos from smartphone cameras can help detect diabetes and non-diabetes diseases from external eye photos as well.

2. Recording and translating heart sounds with smartphones: The latest research investigates whether a smartphone can detect heartbeats and murmurs. Researchers at Google are currently in the early stages of clinical study testing as Google plans to empower people to use the smartphone as an additional tool for accessible health evaluation.

3. Partnering with Northwestern Medicine to apply AI to improve maternal health:  Google is working on foundational, open-access research studies that validate the use of AI to help providers conduct ultrasounds and perform assessments. Google Health has partnered with Northwestern Medicine to further develop and test these models to be more generalisable across different levels of experience and technologies.

For more details, click here.