Why an AI to spot skin problems won’t be available in the US

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View this email in your browser  |   Manage newsletter subscriptions By Jennifer Conrad | 06.24.21 It's officially summer! Today we're looking at a machine-vision app from Google that may help identify suspicious spots on your skin, including cancers—and why it won't be rolling out in the US anytime soon. Plus, why do automatic adjustments to smart thermostats have some Texans hot under the collar? And will Gen Z–inspired dating apps survive the post-vax summer? Don't forget to wear your sunscreen, and we'll see you next week!     Google Launches a New Medical App—Outside the US You notice a weird new spot on your body, so you scan it and run something like a Google image search to get a sense of what it might be. Sounds promising, right? At its developer conference last month, Google demoed a system intended to do exactly that. Users snap three photos at different angles and distances and get a list of possible conditions. Google says its app was trained on "hundreds of thousands of skin images" and can identify 288 conditions, including skin cancers. But Americans can set down their smartphones for now. As Tom Simonite reports, the app will be available on a trial basis only in Europe and other countries that follow its CE mark. "The company's America-not-first strategy highlights how it can be easier to win approval for medical apps in Europe than in the US," Simonite writes. It also "flips the traditional Silicon Valley view of Europe as a red-tape-strewn landscape hostile to new ideas." Though Google likens the app's "suggested conditions" to search results, its boast that its technology rivals board-certified dermatologists could strike the Food and Drug Administration as a specific medical claim requiring regulatory approval, according to one lawyer. It may be premature to outsource such diagnostics to machines, especially if a system hasn't been sufficiently tested on darker skin tones. People could end up seeking out unnecessary biopsies or skipping important tests. Read more about Google's new app here.     Deep(er) Learning In 2014, Daniela Hernandez wrote about early attempts to introduce AI to medicine, such as a system for suggesting diagnoses that functions "a bit like Amazon.com recommending purchases based on its massive trove of data about what people have bought in the past." More recently, WIRED writers looked at how researchers are turning to AI to screen for serious conditions—and search for treatments. This AI Could Help Wipe Out Colon Cancer In April, Sarah Harrison reported on an AI system that "has seen the inside of more colons than most doctors." It can help screen for precancerous polyps—and could help wipe out colon cancer. These Doctors Are Using AI to Screen for Breast Cancer An algorithm may detect early warning signs of breast cancer and help doctors prioritize patients for additional tests, Will Knight reported in January. Researchers Will Deploy AI to Better Understand Coronavirus And in March of last year, Knight took a look at an effort to use machine learning to read more than 2,000 academic papers to glean insights into the then-novel coronavirus.     Need to Know   One Bay Area father, trying to balance delivery gigs and child care, had his car stolen while dropping off pizzas—with his kids in the back seat. The story of how he got to that point says a lot about the dark side of the gig economy. Texans who enrolled in a voluntary program found their smart thermostats turned up during a recent heat wave. Here's how the program that pissed off so many Texans actually works. The many, many ways Amazon tracks you—and how you can claw some privacy back. New dating apps are taking their cues from TikTok and Gen Z with features like video clips and matches based on Myers-Briggs personality type. Transit agencies want riders back—and they're trying everything from free rides to increased service outside of rush hours.       So, This Happened Influencer instructors and music deals are part of an effort to make Peloton the "Netflix of wellness." (The Hollywood Reporter) Some drought-prone communities are pushing back against cloud-computing data centers, which often use a water-intensive cooling process. (NBC News) Parts of Rembrandt's The Night Watch were lopped off in the 18th century. Now a Dutch museum used AI to re-create those sections. (The New York Times) Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks announced the Artificial Intelligence and Data Acceleration Initiative, part of the Pentagon's efforts to share AI-generated insights across the military. (Defense News) Cornell's AI-enabled Merlin Bird ID app can identify birds by their songs. (Cornell University)     Until Next Time   "Jack Black apparently has access to satellites 300 miles up going 17,500 miles an hour. They're not waiting around for Jack Black to tell them what to do." A former Army intel director breaks down spy satellite scenes from movies and TV.     More Essential Reads Why Utilities Want to Control Your Smart Thermostat Sometimes All the Ways Amazon Tracks You—and How to Stop It A New Wave of Dating Apps Takes Cues From TikTok and Gen Z Transit Agencies Are Trying Everything to Lure You Back GET WIRED Stare the future right in the eye. Get 1 year of unlimited access to WIRED for less than $1 per month. Plus, get a free tote! Subscribe now.             This e-mail was sent to you by WIRED. To ensure delivery to your inbox (not bulk or junk folders), please add our e-mail address, wired@newsletters.wired.com, to your address book.   View our Privacy Policy Unsubscribe or manage your newsletter subscriptions   Copyright © Condé Nast 2021. One World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007. All rights reserved.