Google’s cloud arm is adding a generative artificial intelligence search function for healthcare and life science organizations, the company announced at the HLTH conference on Monday.
Google Cloud said its Vertex AI search capabilities are being tuned for healthcare organizations, which will allow clinicians to search for specific information directly in electronic health records and other clinical systems.
The company is rolling out the capabilities with Rochester, Minnesota-based Mayo Clinic, Pittsburgh-based integrated health system Highmark Health and Edison, New Jersey-based Hackensack Meridian Health.
“Healthcare organizations will be able to use Google-quality generative AI in the clinical workplace,” said Aashima Gupta, global director of healthcare solutions at Google Cloud.
Mayo said it will use the search to support a range of applications. Highmark finished migrating its Epic EHR workflows onto Google Cloud and will integrate the generative AI search function to improve the insights clinicians can gather at the point of care. Highmark will bring the search function to its public websites, which will help consumers find information on which doctors are in-network and what out-of-pocket costs they would owe for certain procedures.
Other Google Cloud customers in healthcare can sign up for early access to Vertex AI search features for healthcare and life sciences, Gupta said.
In August, Google made its medically tuned generative AI large language model Med-PaLM 2 available as preview to an unspecified number of additional Google Cloud healthcare and life sciences customers. The Vertex AI search capabilities will work alongside Med-PaLM 2, Google said in a news release.
“2023 was about when [generative] AI took off,” Gupta said. “2024 is when we will see gen AI in production with practical, pragmatic use cases.”
Google said it is working with public and private stakeholders to harmonize standards around health AI usage and ensure its protecting patient safety and not perpetuating biases.
In August, the company received a letter from Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) expressing concern over the company’s rollout of Med-PaLM 2. James Manyika, Google’s senior vice president of research, said the industry can take the lead on regulating AI for healthcare and other industries.
“Of course we’ll want proper regulation from Congress,” Manyika said. “The problem is it will move too slowly. That’s where industry can take the lead. That’s why we’ve been proactive.”
