Google's new AI can look into your eyes and predict heart attack risk

Researchers from Google and sibling company Verily Life Sciences have developed a new algorithm using artificial intelligence to predict the risk of heart attack, stroke and other major cardiovascular events. Scientists studied data from 284,335 patients and found the "deep-learning" AI algorithm could identify risk factors based on age, blood pressure, gender, smoking status and others just by scanning the individuals' retinas. "The rear interior wall of the eye (the fundus) is chock-full of blood vessels that reflect the body's overall health," the Verge reported. "By studying their appearance with camera and microscope, doctors can infer things like an individual's blood pressure, age, and whether or not they smoke, which are all important predictors of cardiovascular health." Google's AI was able to differentiate patients who suffered a major cardiac event in the following five years and those who didn't with a 70 percent accuracy.