X-rays, MRIs and other medical images can now be read, stored and labeled using Google’s artificial intelligence tools, the search giant announced on Tuesday.
By using the tools from Google’s cloud unit, hospitals and medical companies can quickly analyze images for diagnosis or search through imaging metadata. Known as the Medical Imaging Suite, the tools can also help healthcare professionals annotate medical images automatically and build machine learning models.
“With the advancements in medical imaging technology, there’s been an increase in the size and complexity of these images,” Alissa Hsu Lynch, Google Cloud’s global lead for health tech strategy and solutions, said in an interview. “We know that AI can enable faster, more accurate diagnosis and therefore help improve productivity for healthcare workers.”
Forbes concludes, that in light of Google’s other healthcare ventures, privacy advocates may worry that the tech giant, which makes the majority of its $257 billion annual revenue from personalized ads based on user data, will use patient information for its vast advertising machine.