What if one photo could reveal more than just your face—but also your health? Doctors are now turning to FaceAge AI as a powerful new tool for medical insights.
The idea of using technology to analyze faces isn’t new. Apps and TikTok filters claiming to reveal your age have been popular for years. But FaceAge AI isn’t just a passing trend.
This AI model has been trained on tens of thousands of photos from patients and public image databases. Its goal? To detect subtle signs of aging that could provide valuable insights into your overall health.
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Dr. Raymond Mak, a radiation oncologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, co-led the study that explored this innovative tool. He told The Wall Street Journal that our faces reflect the wear and tear of a lifetime—an intricate roadmap that doctors are just beginning to decode.
This tool could be especially groundbreaking for oncologists. Physicians already rely on visual cues and gut instincts when assessing a patient’s health. With FaceAge AI, these decisions could become even more precise.
Dr. Mak shared an example of its potential impact. He treated a 90-year-old lung cancer patient who appeared much younger than his age. Trusting his instincts, Mak tailored the treatment as if the patient were younger. Later, he ran the patient’s photo through FaceAge AI, which estimated the patient’s biological age at just 66.
Concerns about bias
Despite its promise, FaceAge has raised concerns. Critics worry that predictions of shorter life expectancy could lead to biased or unequal treatment.
Additionally, experts caution that the tool still has limitations. An associate professor at Harvard told The Wall Street Journal that racial groups may be underrepresented in the datasets, and factors like cosmetic procedures or poor lighting could skew results.
If you want to explore your biological age, NOVOS offers a free version of its tool. It analyzes features like wrinkles, eyes, and pores, then provides health tips, such as cutting back on sugary foods if you score low in specific areas.
While FaceAge might offer fascinating insights—or inspire a new skincare routine—it’s no substitute for real medical advice.
[KENNEDY FELTON]
remove production cues and give me transcript of my script SOURCES: https://www.wsj.com/health/wellness/face-age-test-health-medicine-6ca1a4c5?st=6WTQR7&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink L3: CAN AI DECODE YOUR FACE TO HELP DOCTORS TREAT YOU? [ON CAM] WHAT IF A SINGLE PHOTO COULD REVEAL MORE THAN JUST YOUR FACE – BUT YOUR HEALTH? THANKS TO ‘FACE AGE A-I’… DOCTORS ARE NOW USING PHOTOS AS A POWERFUL NEW TOOL FOR MEDICAL INSIGHTS. [TAKE VO] THIS CONCEPT ISN’T NEW. YOU MIGHT REMEMBER APPS LIKE THE TIK-TOK FILTER CLAIMING TO REVEAL YOUR AGE FOR A FUN TREND. BUT ‘FACE AGE A-I’ IS NO ORDINARY GIMMICK. [TAKE VO] THIS A-I MODEL HAS BEEN TRAINED ON TENS OF *THOUSANDS OF PHOTOS FROM PATIENTS AND PUBLIC IMAGE DATABASES. THE GOAL? DETECTING SUBTLE SIGNS OF AGING THAT *COULD PROVIDE DEEPER INSIGHTS INTO YOUR OVERALL HEALTH._ [TAKE VO] DOCTOR RAYMOND MAK IS A RADIATION ONCOLOGIST AT BRIGHAM AND WOMEN’S HOSPITAL WHO CO-LED THIS STUDY WITH OTHER RESEARCHERS. HE TELLS THE WALL STREET JOURNAL – OUR FACES REFLECT THE WEAR AND TEAR OF A LIFETIME… WHICH IS AN INTRICATE ROADMAP OF HEALTH THAT DOCTORS ARE BEGINNING TO DECODE. [TAKE VO] FOR ONCOLOGISTS SPECIFICALLY – THIS TOOL COULD BE REVOLUTIONARY. DOCTORS ALREADY RELY ON THEIR OWN PERCEPTIONS OF PATIENTS’ HEALTH TO TAILOR TREATMENTS. WITH FACE AGE A-I… THOSE DECISIONS COULD BECOME EVEN MORE PRECISE. [TAKE VO] DOCTOR MAK RECALLS AN EXAMPLE OF A 90 YEAR OLD LUNG CANCER PATIENT WHO APPEARED MUCH YOUNGER THAN HIS AGE. TRUSTING HIS INSTINCTS – MAK APPROACHED TREATMENT AS IF THE PATIENT WERE YOUNGER. WEEKS AFTER THE START OF RADIATION… HE RAN THE PATIENTS’ PHOTO THROUGH THE A-I TOOL – WHICH ESTIMATED HIS BIOLOGICAL AGE TO BE JUST 66. [TAKE VO] BUT THERE IS CONCERN FOR PEOPLE WHOSE FACE SCANS PREDICT A SHORTER LIFE EXPECTANCY THAT MIGHT LEAD TO BIASED OR UNEQUAL TREATMENT. [TAKE VO – SCROLL] IF YOU’RE CURIOUS TO TRY IT YOURSELF.. THERE’S A FREE VERSION FROM A COMPANY CALLED NOVOS THAT OFFERS A GLIMPSE INTO YOUR BIOLOGICAL AGE. IT ANALYZES CATEGORIES LIKE WRINKLES… EYES… PORES… AND EVEN PROVIDES HEALTH TIPS – LIKE CUTTING BACK ON SUGARY FOODS IF YOU SCORE LOW IN SOME AREAS. [TAKE VO] WHILE THE CONCEPT IS FASCINATING… EXPERTS URGE CAUTION. AN ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR AT HARVARD TELLS THE WALL STREET JOURNAL THESE ALGORITHMS STILL HAVE LIMITATIONS. CERTAIN RACIAL GROUPS MAY BE UNDERREPRESENTED IN THE DATA… AND COSMETIC PROCEDURES OR POOR LIGHTING CAN SKEW RESULTS. [ON CAM] SO WHILE FACE AGE A-I MIGHT GIVE YOU FOOD FOR THOUGHT – OR A NEW SKINCARE ROUTINE – AS OF RIGHT NOW IT’S NOT A SUBSTITUTE FOR REAL MEDICAL ADVICE. IM KF WITH SAN. DOWNLOAD OUR APP TODAY FOR MORE LIFESTYLE STORIES.
What if a single photo could reveal more than just your face – but your health? Thanks to ‘Face Age AI,’ doctors are now using photos as a powerful new tool for medical insights.
This concept isn’t new. You might remember apps like the TikTok filter claiming to reveal your age for a fun trend. But ‘Face Age AI’ is no ordinary gimmick.
This AI model has been trained on tens of thousands of photos from patients and public image databases. The goal? Detecting subtle signs of aging that could provide deeper insights into your overall health.
Doctor Raymond Mak is a radiation oncologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital who co-led this study with other researchers. He tells the Wall Street Journal – our faces reflect the wear and tear of a lifetime… which is an intricate roadmap of health that doctors are beginning to decode.
For oncologists specifically – this tool could be revolutionary. Doctors already rely on their own perceptions of patients’ health to tailor treatments. With Face Age AI, those decisions could become even more precise.
Doctor Mak recalls an example of a 90-year-old lung cancer patient who appeared much younger than his age. Trusting his instincts, Mak approached treatment as if the patient were younger. Weeks after the start of radiation, he ran the patient’s photo through the AI tool – which estimated his biological age to be just 66.
But there is concern for people whose face scans predict a shorter life expectancy that might lead to biased or unequal treatment.
If you’re curious to try it yourself, there’s a free version from a company called NOVOS that offers a glimpse into your biological age. It analyzes categories like wrinkles, eyes, pores, and even provides health tips – like cutting back on sugary foods if you score low in some areas.
While the concept is fascinating, experts urge caution. An associate professor at Harvard tells the Wall Street Journal these algorithms still have limitations. Certain racial groups may be underrepresented in the data, and cosmetic procedures or poor lighting can skew results.
So while Face Age AI might give you food for thought – or a new skincare routine – as of right now it’s not a substitute for real medical advice.
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