Google has announced that it is developing an artificial intelligence (AI) model that can decipher hard-to-read handwriting, focusing on notes and prescriptions written by doctors.
The search giant made this announcement at its annual conference in India on Monday, December 19th. Google demonstrated this feature during the event, showing its ability to detect drug names in a handwritten prescription.
There are currently no details on when this new text transcription feature is expected to launch. It is known that there is still a lot of work to be done before this system is ready for the real world.
The new feature will be part of the Google Lens utility, which is currently built into the search engine. Google Lens is a multi-purpose AI-based object recognition tool that can be used to detect objects and translate languages. Currently, the Google Lens app can already be used to digitally transcribe handwritten notes, although this function depends on the legibility of the handwriting.
Doctors are known for their often-poor handwriting, so this new feature could be very useful. Patients will be able to take a picture of a prescription from a doctor, and the AI will be able to decipher the prescribed medications. Google is working closely with pharmacists worldwide to implement this feature.
If implemented, this feature could help to improve patient care and potentially even save lives. It is not yet known when the feature will be made available, but it is clear that Google is working hard to make it a reality.
