Google has just introduced a tool that allows users to determine the health of their skin through photos. However, doctors are expressing concerns about the reliability of the tool.
Google Lens is an application developed by Google that allows exploiting many functions of the camera on smartphones, including handwriting recognition, extracting text content from images, documents ... to convert to typed and editable text.
Google Lens is also integrated with artificial intelligence, for the ability to recognize real-life objects (such as helping to identify information about a plant or a certain object or translate languages in real time thanks to artificial intelligence ...)
Recently, Google has integrated into the Google Lens application a new feature, allowing users to determine the health of their skin through photos.
Accordingly, if the user has a rash or appears red spots, discolored skin areas ... on the body, they just need to use the Google Lens application on smartphones to take pictures of the skin with unusual signs.
The Google Lens application will analyze symptoms through images to diagnose dermatological diseases that users are suffering from.
“Unusual skin conditions are often difficult to describe in words. Fortunately, the Google Lens app will be very useful in this case, with the ability to search for skin conditions similar to what appears on the user's skin," Google said about the new feature on the Google Lens app.
"This feature is useful if you don't know how to describe a condition you're experiencing, such as a bump on your lip, a crease in your fingernails, or hair loss," Google added.
New technology from Google Lens works by comparing photos of users' skin conditions with images of common dermatological diseases, thereby providing advice on how to care for and treat affected areas.
In particular, Google Lens is integrated with artificial intelligence, which improves the ability to analyze and recognize images to identify dermatological diseases more and more accurately.
However, many doctors have expressed dissatisfaction with Google's "encroachment" into the field of healthcare.
Many experts believe that the new feature of Google Lens will make many people subjective, rely on information about dermatological conditions provided by the application and self-treat at home, instead of going to a doctor for a more accurate diagnosis, which can make the condition more and more serious.
“No machine system or artificial intelligence can surpass the diagnosis of doctors.
If you experience any health instability that makes you feel insecure, go to the doctor immediately, instead of relying on the analysis of the software, "said Jack Schuler, a dermatologist working in the state of California (USA).
"I am concerned that the new feature of Google Lens will make many people subjective, making the condition more and more serious, when it comes to seeing a doctor, it's too late and there's no time for treatment," said American dermatologist William Brown.
In fact, Google has long been considered a "family doctor", when many people often search for symptoms of illness of themselves or someone they know on Google, then rely on the search results to diagnose the disease themselves and buy medicine to take, instead of going to the doctor.
Using Google to self-medicate is a very dangerous action that many doctors have to warn, because there are many different diseases but have similar symptoms that only doctors and professionals can distinguish.
Therefore, the advice of doctors is that people should still seek the help of medical professionals when having health problems, instead of relying on advice on the Internet.
According to DTrends/YN
English 
Vietnamese