Can AI help doctors predict and prevent preterm birth?

Almost 400,000 babies were born prematurely--before 37 weeks gestation--in 2018 in the United States. One of the leading causes of newborn deaths and long-term disabilities, preterm birth (PTB) is considered a public health problem with deep emotional and challenging financial consequences to families and society. If doctors were able to use data and artificial intelligence (AI) to predict which pregnant women might be at risk, many of these premature births might be avoided. "Premature birth prediction has been an exceedingly challenging problem," said Ansaf Salleb-Aouissi, a senior lecturer in discipline from the computer science department. "But we are now at a point where we can use machine learning to develop a dynamic risk prediction system for pregnant women. Creating a system that can process large models of data with AI algorithms we develop would be a great benefit to supplement physicians' 'real-life' expertise."