IBM claims its AI can improve neonatal outcomes and predict the onset of Type 1 diabetes

IBM this week presented research investigating how AI and machine learning could be used to improve maternal health in developing countries and predict the onset and progression of Type 1 diabetes. In a study funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, IBM researchers built models to analyze demographic datasets from African countries, finding "data-supported" links between the number of years between pregnancies and the size of a woman's social network with birth outcomes. In a separate work, a team from IBM analyzed data across three decades and four countries to attempt to anticipate the onset of Type 1 diabetes anywhere from 3 to 12 months before it's typically diagnosed and then predict its progression. They claim one of the models accurately predicted progression 84% of the time. Despite a global decline in child mortality rates, many countries aren't on track to achieving proposed targets of ending preventable deaths among newborns and children under the age of 5. Unsurprisingly, the progress toward these targets remains uneven, reflected in disparities in access to healthcare services and inequitable resource allocation. Toward potential solutions, researchers at IBM attempted to identify features associated with neonatal mortality "as captured in nationally representative cross-sectional data."