At its yearly event “The Check Up,” Google unveiled fresh health programs and collaborations. The Google Health squad disclosed advancements in search functionalities, health app development tools, and the latest research in AI-based healthcare. The event included discussions on partnerships aimed at creating AI-assisted ultrasounds, cancer treatment, and tuberculosis screenings. The highlight was the launch of the latest version of Google’s large language model for healthcare, Med-PaLM.
Med-PaLM made its debut in late 2022 as an advanced tool for delivering precise answers to medical queries. It is the first AI technology that achieved a passing score of over 60% in multiple-choice format, which is similar to the questions asked in the US medical licensing exams.
Google Health announced that Med-PaLM 2, the latest version of its advanced medical AI, has consistently achieved an expert level in answering medical exam questions. It has shown a remarkable accuracy rate of over 85%, which is 18% higher than the previous model.
Additionally, the technology is undergoing tests where its responses are being compared to those of actual doctors and clinicians to evaluate its accuracy, potential for harm, and bias. Dr. Alan Karthikesalingam, a research lead at Google Health, revealed these developments.
Dr. Alan Karthikesalingam acknowledged that due to the sensitivity of medical data, it may take some time before Med-PaLM 2 becomes widely available to the public. He emphasized the significance of responsible innovation within a regulated environment.
Also, Google unveiled Open Health Stack, a set of open-source resources to assist developers worldwide, especially in disadvantaged communities, in creating apps that support various healthcare functions. These apps can aid healthcare workers in rural locations by allowing them to access population health data for monitoring community health and obtaining relevant information to make informed decisions about patient care.
Google’s CEO, Sundar Pichai, started referring to the company as “AI-first” years ago. Google is a technology giant that has been at the forefront of various technological advancements, including generative AI, which involves creating software that can produce high-quality text, images, and videos. Despite its early efforts in becoming an “AI-first” company, Google has been facing stiff competition from its rivals, including Chat GPT, in the race to assert its leadership in generative AI. Chat GPT is a large language model that has also been making significant strides in generative AI, prompting Google to double down on its efforts to maintain its position as a leader in this field.