Google has announced new artificial intelligence technology will be able to diagnose users' skin problems at home.

The tech giant says its new dermatology feature will give a whole new meaning to 'Dr. Google' by diagnosing up to 288 skin ailments based on photos.

According to Google's blog, each year over ten billion searches are made on the engine for information on skin, hair, and nails issues as two billion people suffer from dermatologic issues globally.

The answer to a shortage of specialists - Google says - is an online tool which asks questions about a 'patient's' skin type and symptoms and then analyse images of their concerned area.

Dr. Karen DeSalvo, chief health officer of Google and a former assistant secretary of health under Barack Obama, said that the proposed tool could list possible diagnoses matching the photo submitted, The Science Times reports.

The Google blog post which was published on Tuesday reads: "Our AI-powered dermatology assist tool is a web-based application that we hope to launch as a pilot later this year, to make it easier to figure out what might be going on with your skin.