Google is developing an AI tool called HeAR that analyzes data to detect symptoms of certain diseases. Google has trained HeAR with more than 300 million sound samples, including 100 million cough sounds. In this context, it wants to be the best at detecting diseases from sounds.
Google will be able to diagnose with HeAR artificial intelligence
HeAR, which stands for Health Acoustic Representations, will allow researchers to create models that can listen to human voices and flag early signs of disease. One of the diseases that HeAR promises early diagnosis will be tuberculosis.
Google has partnered with healthcare company Salcit Technologies to apply HeAR to real-world healthcare. Salcit uses its own AI model called Swaasa to analyze cough sounds and track lung health. This model will be based on and tested with HeAR for some time.
If successful in diagnosing diseases from coughs, HeAR is expected to have major implications for global health. By analyzing sounds through a smartphone microphone, it could enable screening in areas where advanced medical equipment is not available. This could potentially save many lives.
For now, doctors are skeptical of technologies that challenge conventional diagnostic methods. But Google’s deal with several healthcare companies has demonstrated the potential of HeAR. Time will tell how successful “Dr. Google” will be.