Google gives a sneak peek into its new AI dermatology assistant

"Google is looking to use artificial intelligence to help patients find answers to dermatology questions using their personal cameras.

"Skin diseases as a category are an enormous global burden and every day we see millions of people turning to Google to research their skin concern," Dr. Peggy Bui, product manager at Google Health, said. "Worldwide, two billion are affected, and most cases are curable. But half the world's population face a critical shortage of dermatologists where wait times can be months to a year."

This afternoon the tech titan revealed a preview of its AI-powered dermatology assistant that runs on a web-based application. Users are able to upload photos from their cameras onto the platform. The assistant can give feedback to the user on photo quality, telling them if a photo is too blurry or dark, etc.

The tool will prompt users to answer information about their condition, including length of time, skin type and other symptoms. The questions are optional, allowing users to skip ones they don't know the answers to or don't wish to share.

"Our AI-powered tool helps users to research and identify their skin concerns by addressing existing pain points as patients discover, research and decide what to do. This innovative technology is the culmination of over 3 years of machine learning research," Bui said.

"It was designed to be incredibly accessible. There is no training required, there is no special equipment or special hardware. You don't even need to download the app. All you need is the ability to take a photograph using a phone or digital camera and have access to the Internet so you can go to the URL on your Internet browser."..." Lire la suite