Google Launches Thai AI Project to Screen for Diabetic Eye Disease
9:24:15 2018-12-16 1086

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.

 

© Thomson Reuters 2018

Forgive Others   2025-07-23
Reality Of Islam

A Mathematical Approach to the Quran

10:52:33   2024-02-16  

mediation

2:36:46   2023-06-04  

what Allah hates the most

5:1:47   2023-06-01  

allahs fort

11:41:7   2023-05-30  

striving for success

2:35:47   2023-06-04  

Imam Ali Describes the Holy Quran

5:0:38   2023-06-01  

livelihood

11:40:13   2023-05-30  

silence about wisdom

3:36:19   2023-05-29  

Gold remains perfectly solid wh

read more

MOST VIEWS

Importance of Media

9:3:43   2018-11-05

Illuminations

your path

12:10:56   2022-11-17

their choice

11:11:59   2023-02-01

salih & the special camel

8:3:0   2018-06-21

use you time well

4:26:43   2022-02-21

good people

11:34:48   2022-06-29

loyalty is strength

10:55:53   2022-06-13

your character

2:33:4   2023-02-15



IMmORTAL Words
LATEST Switching Off for a Moment Lets Your Brain Do Something Wonderful OpenAI Launches Free, Customizable AI Models in Major Strategic Shift Lightning Kills Way More Trees Than You Would Ever Believe How Can You Save Your Marriage? Interpretation of Sura Hud - Verses 111-113 Importance of Patience in the Light of Traditions Just One Diet Soda a Day May Raise Your Type 2 Diabetes Risk by 38% Gold Does Something Unexpected When Superheated Past Its Melting Point Scientists Found a Mysterious Barrier in The Ocean That Jellyfish Will Not Cross Take Responsibility for Your Choices Interpretation of Sura Hud - Verses 108-110 Patience in Islamic Codices