A new voice for cancer screening: tackling inequality with AI

Researchers from the University of Sydney and University of Glasgow are developing an AI-powered voice assistant to help people with intellectual disabilities better understand and participate in bowel cancer screening. People with intellectual disabilities are much less likely to complete screening and are nearly 2.5 times more likely to die from bowel cancer than the general population. The new tool allows users to ask questions by phone and receive personalised, easy-to-understand information based on trusted health resources. The aim is to make screening information more accessible, increase participation in life-saving screening programs, and help detect bowel cancer earlier when treatment is most effective. Early feedback has been positive, with researchers hopeful the technology can help reduce health inequalities and improve outcomes for people with disabilities.