Daijiworld Media Network – New Delhi
New Delhi, May 12: A revolutionary AI tool named FaceAge is making waves in the world of personalized medicine. Developed using deep learning and recently published in The Lancet Digital Health, the tool analyzes selfies to estimate a person’s biological age, which often differs from their actual age due to lifestyle and health factors.
Built on over 58,000 facial images of healthy adults and tested on 6,196 cancer patients across the US and Netherlands, FaceAge aims to assist doctors in making more precise decisions, especially in cancer treatment and palliative care. Researchers found cancer patients appeared biologically 4.79 years older than their real age on average. The tool also improved predictions of six-month survival rates better than doctors alone.
“This innovation could help tailor treatments more accurately,” said researchers, noting how biological age offers a clearer insight into patient frailty than visual guesses or expensive DNA-based tests.
However, ethical concerns loom. Experts warn of potential misuse by insurance firms and employers, despite early tests showing minimal racial bias. A new, fairer version trained on 20,000 patients is under development, with calls for strong ethical guidelines.
A public portal is also in the works, letting users upload selfies and participate in further validation. Clinical versions may launch soon following more trials.
FaceAge underlines a new chapter in AI-driven healthcare — promising, but in need of careful oversight.