IBM scientists hope to detect early signs of dementia using AI

Researchers from IBM and Pfizer have published details on a new AI model that interprets written speech, which they claim can predict whether a person will develop Alzheimer's seven years before they show symptoms. The idea is attractive for its simplicity: The model's only input is a written sample from the "cookie-theft picture description task," a common cognitive test that asks participants to describe what's happening in a drawing (three guesses what the drawing is of). Researchers trained the AI to pore over participants' responses, picking up on hints of cognitive decline like repetition, misspellings, two-word sentences, and limited vocabulary. Now, hold your applause: The model is in early days, and it isn't any better than current cognitive assessments. The initial study--based on data gathered from just 270 Americans over the course of four decades--showed the AI could predict a future Alzheimer's diagnosis 70% of the time.