DeepMind is preparing to launch its first commercial product and it aims to aid the diagnosis of complex eye diseases.
The renowned Cambridge-based artificial intelligence experts hope their product will become parent company Alphabet’s first medical device.
In a live demonstration, a patient had a retinal scan performed on her eye. DeepMind’s system was able to provide a diagnosis and ‘urgency score’ in just 30 seconds.
The ability to perform such a quick diagnosis will free up doctors’ precious time for other purposes and ensure patients get treatment as soon as possible.
A range of eye diseases can already be diagnosed by DeepMind’s system including glaucoma, macular degeneration, and diabetic retinopathy.
Developed in conjunction with London’s Moorfields Eye Hospital, the system has the same level of accuracy as the world’s leading specialists.
Much like robotics and 5G are expected to help patients in rural areas gain access to world-leading experts, AI systems like DeepMind’s will provide the fastest and most accurate diagnosis of medical problems no matter where a patient is.
The product is being developed by DeepMind Health. The subsidiary has received its fair share of criticism after the UK government ruled the company had gained inappropriate access to medical data from 1.6 million patients when developing its Streams app.
Once boasting of a 100 percent employee retention rate, talent has begun leaking from DeepMind in recent months. Some believe the backlash from the Streams controversy has made it more difficult for DeepMind to find willing, and much-needed, partners in the medical industry.
DeepMind first published details about its research in science journal Nature last August.
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