Boston researchers have developed a new AI tool, now available to the public, that lets users upload a selfie in order to find out their "biological age."
It's called FaceAge and it's part of a study by Mass General Brigham. Anyone can go to faceage.bwh.harvard.edu, fill out a brief survey and upload three to 10 photos for AI to analyze.
Mass General says the whole process takes less than 10 minutes. The AI model has been trained using more than 40 million facial images to give an estimation of biological age.
"Biological age reflects your body's physiological condition and aging process rather than your actual chronological age," the website explains.
Why is biological age important? The researchers say people who look older than their age have higher health risks. They're also studying an AI model that predicts survival rates among cancer patients using just a photograph.
"As the population ages, physicians need better ways to estimate physical reserve and frailty before recommending intensive treatments such as radiation, surgery or systemic therapy," study author Dr. Raymond Mak said in a statement. "Our goal is to make face photograph-based health assessment more quantitative, consistent and scalable so it can support personalized treatment decisions rather than replace physician judgment."
Lifestyle factors like heavy drinking, drug use and smoking can cause someone to look biologically older, researchers said. Users can upload multiple photos over a period of time to see how their biological age changes.
FaceAge users have to fill out a consent form before using the AI. Mass General says the photos will only be used for research purposes.
