IBM works on AI to detect chronic diseases like Parkinson's, diabetes

IBM is banking on artificial intelligence (AI) and connected devices to find new ways to help people stay healthy, as the world copes with an ageing population and prevalent chronic diseases.

The New York-based technology company is working with research partners on various connected devices, including sensors attached to the floor, chair or bed of patients, to help detect diseases at an early stage, according to Norishige Morimoto, vice-president for research and development at IBM Japan.

“Chronic diseases like dementia are irreversible, so the only way to stop is to slow down the progress of the disease,” Morimoto said in an interview on Friday. “Because of the slow progression, those signs are very difficult to connect unless constantly monitored.”

Precise detection will need the help of pre-trained AI to interpret the data gathered from the sensors, such as the abnormal trembling of the patient’s limbs that is a symptom of certain diseases. Some of the chronic diseases being investigated by IBM include diabetes, Alzheimer’s, dementia and Parkinson’s.

IBM has sharpened its focus on studying the world’s ageing population, especially those burdened with chronic diseases, Morimoto said.

That initiative comes as the demographic shift in age among a country’s population has moved faster in East Asia – including Japan, South Korea and China – than any other region, according to data from the World Bank. East Asia, which also includes parts of Southeast Asia, will lose as much as 15 per cent of their working-age population by 2040, the World Bank said. In China, a quarter of the population is expected to be over 60 years old by 2030, according to a report by China’s State Council in 2017.