The idea of using technology to improve our health is by no means new. After all, our entire modern medicine is based on technology. But companies, hospitals and doctors are looking to take the next step, by teaching machines to diagnose patients.
One such partnership between the medical establishment and cutting edge technology companies is taking place as we speak. Teaming up with Google’s DeepMind AI division, an NHS eye hospital is looking for way to improve outcomes for its patients. DeepMind is a start-up that Google purchased back in 2014, and which recently made history as its AlphaGo artificial intelligence beat the world champion at Go.
The partnership seeks to develop algorithms that will allow DeepMind’s AI to understand and analyze eye scans, with the hopes that it will outperform regular doctors. By noticing tiny, minute details in every scan DeepMind’s AI might be able to detect disease or problems long before they become symptomatic – giving doctor’s a much better chance at curing them.
Researchers explain that age-related macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy are the two most common causes of blindness in developed nations, and DeepMind’s AI will analyze a million anonymized eye scans to learn the telltale signs of these diseases.
More importantly, DeepMind and inherently Google, will publish all of its results, practices and methodology in peer-reviewed journals. The aim is for other researchers to understand how this works and to set the stage for DeepMind working with commercial partners.
By using statistical analyses, noticing minute details and digging through huge data sets machine-learning algorithms have the potential of pushing medicine into the future. If the technology’s promises pan out, we might be in for a revolution in our medical systems.