An app could soon diagnose CANCER based on the sound of your voice: Scientists are building an AI that detects tiny changes in the vocal cords
- Scientists from 12 research institutions have received funding to set up the app
- Voices can alert doctors to a variety of problems, such as cancer and stroke
- The research team will collect a dataset of 30,000 votes over a 4-year period
A mobile app may soon be able to diagnose you with chronic health problems based on the sound of your voice.
Scientists are building an artificial intelligence that analyzes vibrations in speech and breathing patterns to look for clues to disease.
The National Institutes of Health is funding a mammoth research project to collect speech data that will build the AI.
Experts already know that diseases such as Parkinson’s disease or stroke alter language, while lung diseases affect breathing.
But the hope is that the computer program will be able to diagnose a wide range of medical conditions – including cancer and depression.
A coalition of experts will begin collecting the voices of people with disorders in five areas: neurological disorders, voice disorders, mood disorders, respiratory disorders, and pediatric disorders such as autism and speech delays.
It is part of the NIH’s Bridge to AI, a $130 million program designed to accelerate the widespread use of artificial intelligence technologies in the medical field.
Scientists are building an artificial intelligence that analyzes vibrations in speech and breathing patterns to look for clues to disease (file image)
dr Yael Bensoussan (pictured), director of the University of South Florida’s Health Voice Center, leads researchers from 12 research institutions
How can a person’s voice indicate a serious health problem?
Researchers at 12 institutions, including the University of South Florida and Weill Cornell Medicine, are investigating
They believe vocal patterns and chord vibrations can provide clues to a person’s underlying health
For example, a person who slanders their words may have suffered a stroke.
Or someone who speaks softly and slowly may have undiagnosed Parkinson’s disease.
The cadre of researchers plans to develop artificial intelligence that can detect diseases by detecting changes in the human voice
The ultimate goal is to develop an app that can be used both outside of the clinical environment and in the medical field
It would be a game changer for equity and accessibility in healthcare, especially in rural and inaccessible areas of the United States
dr Yael Bensoussan, director of the University of South Florida’s Health Voice Center, leads researchers from 12 research institutions.
She believes that “voice has the potential to be a biomarker for multiple health conditions”.
If the app is a success, it could be a game changer for people with limited access to healthcare.
“Creating an effective framework that incorporates massive data sets using the best of today’s technology in a collaborative manner will revolutionize the way voice is used as a tool to help clinicians diagnose diseases and disorders,” said dr bensoussan
The technology, which could bridge the gap between hard-to-reach areas and licensed providers, would also be a boon to rapidly expanding telemedicine services.
dr Olivier Elemento, co-researcher and director of England’s Institute for Precision Medicine, said: “Our future findings could lead to a revolution in healthcare, where continuous voice monitoring could alert physicians to certain medical conditions, such as infections or neurological disorders, sooner than is currently possible.”
The team hopes to collect about 30,000 unique donated voice samples by the end of four years, in addition to data on other biomarkers such as clinical data and genetic information.
The company of Dr. Bensoussan is not the first attempt to determine the diagnostic power of the human voice.
However, previous studies have relied on datasets that are too small, and privacy concerns have been at the forefront.
The project is financially supported by the NIH, the federal government’s sprawling research agency.