Google set to take Indian healthcare a notch up with artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence, a technology that is being harvested by multiple industries for good, has entered the Indian healthcare sector. An early adapter, the country is putting it to the best of use. According to a report by CIS India, AI could bring $957 billion to the economy by 2035.

Google’s new research in machine learning and its ability to detect diabetic retinopathy at early stages is the latest addition to the Indian healthcare sector. An effective combination of AI and healthcare, led by Google Brain AI research group, it will soon be launched for the general public.

Revealing that the “work has already begun on integrating the technology into a chain of eye hospitals in India,” Google researchers worked with doctors in Indian and the US to create a dataset of 1,28,000 images. These were further evaluated by 3-7 ophthalmologists from a panel of 54. The dataset helped the researchers train a deep neural network to detect diabetic retinopathy.

“India is one of the many places around the world where a lack of ophthalmologists means many diabetics don’t get the recommended annual screening for diabetic retinopathy,” according to Lily Peng, product manager, Google Brain AI research. The introduction of artificial intelligence in mainstream healthcare will assist doctors and help them evaluate more patients who need special treatment.

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Kent Walker, SVP of Global Affairs at Google, recently wrote the tech giant is working on “rolling out this diabetic retinopathy initiative in clinics in India with Verily” in a blog post. Verily is an Alphabet-owned company that works on life sciences research and development.

Of more than 400 million people suffering from diabetes, a third of them have diabetic retinopathy, which can cause permanent blindness. “Using the new assistive technology, doctors and staff can screen more patients in less time, sparing people from blindness through a more timely diagnosis,” Walker said. What makes diabetic retinopathy undetected is the lack of going for screenings by patients.

While Google is working to deploy this life-changing technology in India, other companies are also putting this technology to good use. Among other companies, Microsoft is also exploring the uses of Artificial Intelligence in healthcare, and working in close proximity with hospitals like Apollo to incorporate AI in multiple segments including cardiology, HIV, tuberculosis, eye-care, and more.