New project aims to use AI to help people with Type 2 Diabetes manage their health

Writer and maker of conversational systems and member of the DCRC, Rik Lander is developing a ground-breaking AI system designed with patients and their needs at its heart, to support people with type 2 diabetes in taking control of their health, joined by Bristol-based team funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).

Structured diabetes education is a critical component of national efforts to improve health outcomes for people with the condition. The new software named ROMI (Relational Online Motivational Intervention) will deliver just that by providing patients with personalised accessible advice and support. ROMI is a conversational AI that can deliver educational content – either verbally, as a text or as a graphic. Health care professionals and patients, including those from under-served communities which research shows have a higher prevalence of type 2 diabetes, will be involved in the design process from the start.

The team behind ROMI is made up of researchers from the University of the West of England (UWE Bristol) and the NIHR Bristol Biomedical Research Centre (NIHR Bristol BRC) and Elzware, a technology company that has been developing conversational AI since 2002.