Home
Science
Science News
Google Launches Thai AI Project to Screen for Diabetic Eye Disease

Google Launches Thai AI Project to Screen for Diabetic Eye Disease

By Reuters | Updated: 14 December 2018 18:32 IST

Highlights

Google said on Thursday it had launched an AI programme in Thailand
Big tech companies want to show social benefits of AI technologies
We have a responsibility to use AI in the best possible way: Google

Google said on Thursday it had launched an artificial intelligence programme in Thailand to screen for a diabetic eye disease which causes permanent blindness.

The eye screening programme in Thailand follows a similar Google programme in India and highlights a push by big tech companies to show the social benefits of new AI technologies.

"As a society, we have a responsibility to use AI in the best possible way," Kent Walker, the company's Senior Vice President for Global Affairs, said in speech at a Google event in Bangkok on Thursday.

The event also highlighted other social benefits of Google's AI projects, such as stopping illegal fishing in Indonesia.

Google's Thailand diabetes programme was announced in partnership with a Thai state-run Rajavithi Hospital. This followed a joint-study which found the AI programme to have an accuracy rate of 95 percent when it comes to disease detection, compared with 74 percent from opticians or eye doctors.

The programme analyses patients' eye screen results to assess if they are at a risk of vision loss, which will enable them to have preemptive treatment.

Thailand is one of the world's most important sugar producers and high sugar consumption is common amongst its 69 million population.

The Thai government has been campaigning against behaviour that can lead to diabetes and has made the diabetic eye screening one of the country's national health indicators since 2015.

Thailand has only around 1,400 eye doctors for its 5 million diabetic patients, who are all at risk of the vision loss, Paisan Ruamviboonsuk, Ravajithi Hospital's assistant director, told reporters.

Paisan said the programme is intended to achieve a nationwide eye screening rate of 60 percent, which is also the Thai government's target.

In October, Google said it would grant about $25 million globally next year to humanitarian and environmental projects seeking to use AI for good.

Comments

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.