The George Institute for Global Health India has announced that their project, aimed at transforming maternal and neonatal healthcare in rural communities across India, is one of nearly 50 Grand Challenges Catalysing Equitable Artificial Intelligence (AI) Use grants announced by the Gates Foundation.

The funding will be utilised to integrate an innovative AI-based solution into the SMARThealth Pregnancy system, enabling two-way communication support between frontline health workers and rural beneficiaries. The ultimate goal is to reduce maternal and newborn mortality and morbidity.

With a funding amount of $85,265, and working with AI experts from the University of Oxford Computational Health informatics Laboratory, The George Institute India will expand the capabilities of the SMARThealth Pregnancy system, an advanced platform that combines frontline healthcare staff with artificial intelligence to deliver high-quality prenatal and postnatal care.

This creative approach aims to address the healthcare challenges faced by resource-constrained regions, including the scarcity of healthcare workers and gender-related obstacles, in order to provide comprehensive healthcare to women in remote areas of low- and middle-income nations.

By integrating GPT-4, an AI large language model, into the SMARThealth Pregnancy API, The institute aims to significantly enhance the quality and contextual relevance of healthcare information and services provided by frontline health professionals. This technological advancement will have a profound impact on women's and newborns' health knowledge, behaviors, and outcomes in the long run.