By: Guardian
May 20, 2021
Google’s entry into health diagnostics has alarmed health experts who fear a new artificial intelligence tool to identify skin conditions could lead to overdiagnosis, or rare and complex skin conditions being missed.
At a technology conference in the US on Tuesday, Google revealed there are almost 10bn Google searches related to skin, nail and hair issues every year. In response, Google has developed an artificial intelligence “dermatology assist tool” for people with concerns about their skin. Users of the app can use their phone to take three images of their skin, hair or nails from different angles.
The app will then ask users questions about their skin type, how long they have had the issue, and for other symptoms that help narrow down the possibilities.
“The artificial intelligence model analyses this information and draws from its knowledge of 288 conditions to give you a list of possible matching conditions that you can then research further,” Google said in a statement.