AI That Can Analyze Images

We have come a long way in biology and engineering when we can say we now have AI that can analyze images. And here we are. We have arrived at a place hitherto unimaginable for even our grandparents. A place where critical functions for human health and the health of our planet can be examined by artificial intelligence. How? And why do we need it?

What Is Image Analysis?

First, let’s explore the concept of image analysis. Image analysis is just what it sounds like – the analysis of images. We have used image analysis for as long as we have had microscopes (because, just to clarify things, we’re not concerned here with the analysis of images of pets, although that might have some interesting applications as well, but rather the analysis of images that requires expert knowledge). To be honest, we have been analyzing images since we developed the telescope. Galileo looked up into the sky through his scope and began speculating about what he saw. He brought us the heliocentric theory, the idea that the planets revolved around the sun as opposed to the sun revolving around the earth, and almost died for it.

It was hundreds of years later that Louis Pasteur would look through a microscope and describe what he saw. Bacteria and yeast suddenly came into full view for humans who had long been coexisting with them. Now, we were learning about germs and fermentation. We figured out that we should wash our hands and prioritize running water and waste management systems.

We learned how to use yeast and bacteria to our benefit, how to manipulate them for our food and nutritional needs.

All of these advancements came from image analysis – from asking the question, “What is happening under that microscope?”

In modern times, image analysis has allowed us to examine cell cultures that provide us with answers for healing disease, offering vaccines, and even preventing illness.

It has also allowed us to examine metals, count particles in the air and water, and even identify irregularities in uterine health and the human eye.

The Problem

Still, over hundreds of years of image analysis, we have always had to contend with one problem: human error.

Humans are… well, human. We are biased, we get tired, we make mistakes. This reality is not to point blame or pass judgment. It is just reality.

In biology and engineering human error can make the difference between saving lives and losing them. It can even be the cause of the loss of human life.

A misstep in the pharmaceutical industry can mean thousands of lives lost. In the early 1900s, hundreds of American children were killed by a flaw in vaccine production and storage. In the mid 1900s, swimming pools around the country were the cause of the spread of polio.

While we have learned from these mistakes and done what we can to ameliorate them, there is still, always, the possibility of human error lurking around the corner. What will the next error be, and will it cost lives?

The Solution: Automated Image Analysis

The solutions to these issues of human error have arrived in the last few decades as computer engineers and scientists have come together to design artificial intelligence systems that remove the problem of human error.

Look, there are things that a computer simply cannot do. The large debate over content written by AI is just one example that has thrown the internet into a tizzy. It cannot replace the human spirit, to be sure.

But it absolutely can replace, and even improve upon human labor. And well it should.

We are quickly entering and fully embracing a service economy, where human interaction in the name of socialization and service are primary drivers of industry, and artificial intelligence exists to support those services.

Humans still need humans for many things.

We also need to be able to trust that our biological and engineering industries are performing at their peak, providing us with the best possible outcomes.

Automated image analysis, performed by an intelligence designed by humans to be better than humans, eliminates the problem of exhaustion, bias, and error. And, as artificial intelligence evolves, it will become even better at its job.

This solution is a lifesaving one for many industries.

Add to that the fact that AI image analysis also saves time, energy, and money, so we can put our staff to work on tasks that actually require human engagement, of which there are still plenty.

How Automated Image Analysis Software Can Help

Oculyze has designed just such an AI image analysis software that automates expert knowledge and complex and time-consuming tasks. Our software can take any digital image and identify irregularities, count colonies, perform disk diffusion analysis, and so much more.

With automated image analysis that has been tried and tested by hundreds of companies across industries, and that is always being improved upon, you can save time, money, and energy.

You can train your staff into higher levels of production and service and leave the data analysis and entry to high quality software that delivers, every time.

Artificial intelligence is here not to replace humans but to elevate us, to help us be better, and to provide us with the support we have been needing for hundreds of years.

It is finally here. Let’s make the most of it.

Go to our list of products to check out our fully developed applications, such as the yeast cell counters for breweries, wineries and bioethanol producers or our automated colony counter. Or check out our Image Analysis Platform for more use cases we’re currently working on and details on our offer. And if you need a custom solution for optimizing any other process, contact us and we’ll be happy to find out the details of your specific needs and find together the best way to attend to them.