A pioneering artificial intelligence (AI) computer test can help detect whether individuals are in the early stages of dementia. Through a series of questions with an interactive on-screen avatar, a computer programme designed by researchers from Osaka University and Nara Institute of Science and Technology, can discern whether responses given by individuals indicate cognitive problems. The team behind the research was seeking simple alternatives to the medical imaging used by hospitals to pick up the disease, particularly as rates of the illness soar. They also wanted to lower the chance of people becoming used to being asked the same set of questions by doctors determining whether someone is showing signs of dementia. Through algorithms, the programme assesses gaze, delay in responses, intonation, the percentage of verbs and nouns used, voice articulation and recall.