Google has announced several health updates, including expanded support for medical records in its Health Connect service and the development of an AI-powered tool to help biomedical researchers create novel hypotheses.
The tech giant launched a new Medical Records application programming interface (API) globally, allowing apps to read and write medical record information such as allergies, medications, immunizations, and lab results. This addition supports over 50 data types across various health topics.
Google also introduced an AI co-scientist built on Gemini 2.0, designed to assist biomedical researchers in creating new hypotheses and research plans. The tool can parse large volumes of scientific literature and generate high-quality hypotheses.
The company emphasized that the AI tool is not meant to automate the scientific process but rather help experts uncover new ideas and accelerate their work. Google is working with partners such as Imperial College London, Houston Methodist, and Stanford University to evaluate the tool.
Additionally, Google is expanding its AI Overviews feature in Search to provide credible information on health topics. The company plans to launch this feature in more countries and languages, including Spanish, Portuguese, and Japanese, starting from mobile devices.
Google also introduced a new feature called “What People Suggest,” which uses AI to organize online discussions into easy-to-understand themes. This feature provides quick insights from people with similar health conditions, allowing users to access relevant information and links to learn more.
Furthermore, Google aims to improve the efficiency of AI-powered drug discovery using its TxGemma open models. Researchers can ask TxGemma questions to predict important properties of potential new therapies, such as safety and efficacy.
Finally, Google announced that its Loss of Pulse Detection feature on Pixel Watch 3 will be available in the US at the end of the month, after receiving clearance from the FDA.
Source: https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/ai-and-machine-learning/google-rolls-out-medical-records-apis-ai-co-scientist-annual-check-event