Three pedestrians take a selfie on the picturesque alleyway on the finish of Rue de l’Universite, Paris.
Docs typically begin exams with the so-called “eyeball test”—a snap judgment about whether or not the affected person seems older or youthful than their age, which may affect key medical choices.
That intuitive evaluation might quickly get an AI improve.
FaceAge, a deep studying algorithm described Thursday in The Lancet Digital Well being, converts a easy headshot right into a quantity that extra precisely displays an individual’s organic age fairly than the birthday on their chart.
Skilled on tens of hundreds of pictures, it pegged most cancers sufferers on common as biologically 5 years older than wholesome friends. The examine’s authors say it may assist docs determine who can safely tolerate punishing remedies, and who would possibly fare higher with a gentler strategy.
“We hypothesize that FaceAge could be used as a biomarker in cancer care to quantify a patient’s biological age and help a doctor make these tough decisions,” mentioned co-senior creator Raymond Mak, an oncologist at Mass Brigham Well being, a Harvard-affiliated well being system in Boston.
Think about two hypothetical sufferers: a spry 75‑12 months‑outdated whose organic age clocks in at 65, and a frail 60‑12 months‑outdated whose biology reads 70. Aggressive radiation could be applicable for the previous however dangerous for the latter.
The identical logic may assist information choices about coronary heart surgical procedure, hip replacements or end-of-life care.
Sharper lens on frailty
Rising proof exhibits people age at totally different charges, formed by genes, stress, train, and habits like smoking or consuming. Whereas dear genetic checks can reveal how DNA wears over time, FaceAge guarantees perception utilizing solely a selfie.
The mannequin was skilled on 58,851 portraits of presumed-healthy adults over 60, culled from public datasets.
It was then examined on 6,196 most cancers sufferers handled in america and the Netherlands, utilizing images snapped simply earlier than radiotherapy. Sufferers with malignancies regarded on common 4.79 years older biologically than their chronological age.
The mannequin even affirmed a favourite web meme, estimating actor Paul Rudd’s organic age as 43 in a photograph taken when he was 50.
Amongst most cancers sufferers, the next FaceAge rating strongly predicted worse survival—even after accounting for precise age, intercourse, and tumor kind—and the hazard rose steeply for anybody whose organic studying tipped previous 85.
Intriguingly, FaceAge seems to weigh the indicators of growing old in another way than people do. For instance, being gray-haired or balding issues lower than refined modifications in facial muscle tone.
FaceAge boosted docs’ accuracy, too. Eight physicians have been requested to look at headshots of terminal most cancers sufferers and guess who would die inside six months. Their success fee barely beat probability; with FaceAge information in hand, predictions improved sharply.
The mannequin even affirmed a favourite web meme, estimating actor Paul Rudd’s organic age as 43 in a photograph taken when he was 50.
Bias and ethics guardrails
AI instruments have confronted scrutiny for beneath‑serving non-white individuals. Mak mentioned preliminary checks revealed no vital racial bias in FaceAge’s predictions, however the group is coaching a second‑technology mannequin on 20,000 sufferers.
They’re additionally probing how elements like make-up, beauty surgical procedure or room lighting variations may idiot the system.
Ethics debates loom giant. An AI that may learn organic age from a selfie may show a boon for clinicians, but additionally tempting for all times insurers or employers looking for to gauge danger.
“It is for sure something that needs attention, to assure that these technologies are used only in the benefit for the patient,” mentioned Hugo Aerts, the examine’s co-lead who directs MGB’s AI in medication program.
One other dilemma: What occurs when the mirror talks again? Studying that your physique is biologically older than you thought might spur wholesome modifications—or sow anxiousness.
The researchers are planning to open a public-facing FaceAge portal the place individuals can add their very own footage to enroll in a analysis examine to additional validate the algorithm. Industrial variations aimed toward clinicians might observe, however solely after extra validation.
Extra data:
Bontempi, et al. FaceAge, a deep studying system to estimate organic age from face pictures to enhance prognostication: a mannequin growth and validation examine, The Lancet Digital Well being (2025). DOI: 10.1016/j.landig.2025.03.002
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AI software makes use of selfies to foretell organic age and most cancers survival (2025, Might 11)
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