Google is making significant strides in healthcare technology with its recent announcements at The Check Up, the company’s annual health event. Google’s focus on AI research in healthcare, including partnerships to use AI for testing and tuberculosis (TB) screening, has resulted in several breakthroughs that promise to revolutionize healthcare delivery.

One of the biggest announcements at the event was the improvement of Google’s Large Language Models (LLMs) for medicine, specifically the Med-PaLM model. Med-PaLM, a version of Google’s Pathways Language Model (PaLM) specifically designed for the medical field, has been updated to outperform its predecessor by scoring an 85% score. This has been announced as “performing at the level of an ‘expert’ physician.”

Google’s AI-based Med-PaLM 2 model has been tested against 14 criteria, including scientific factuality, accuracy, medical consensus, inference, bias, and harm, and has been published by specialists, including clinicians and non-clinicians from various disciplines around the world. The model has outperformed similar AI models, but Google says further refinements of Med-PaLM 2 are needed for real-world applications.

Google has also announced formal agreements with several organizations to improve cancer radiotherapy, maternal and baby health, and breast cancer detection.

Google’s recent announcements at The Check Up event highlight the company’s commitment to promoting AI research in healthcare and developing digital health solutions that can improve patient outcomes. With its focus on improving cancer radiotherapy, maternal and baby health, breast cancer detection, and tuberculosis screening, Google is making significant strides towards revolutionizing how healthcare is delivered globally.