Dementia innovation

An American company has launched a photorealistic 3D avatar with custom AI, based on the lived experiences of people with dementia and Alzheimer’s.

Lenovo™, in collaboration with British group Innovations in Dementia, says the project will give people and families navigating a diagnosis of dementia 24-hour access to a conversational avatar, Liv. She will offer real-time, curated advice, prioritising accuracy, privacy, and compassion.

Globally there are around 55 million people living with dementia, and that number is expected to reach 139 million by 2050. The AI advancements in Lenovo’s ‘Alzheimer’s Intelligence’ initiative demonstrate how technology has the potential to enhance human interaction, offering a valuable tool to support individuals living with dementia, now and in the future.

The technology combines first-hand experience and advice from hundreds of real people living with dementia and Alzheimer’s into the avatar, which is capable of having an unscripted, natural conversation.

Liv was created from a composite of images of 10 people living with dementia and Alzheimer’s, and will allow people who have recently been diagnosed with dementia to ask the questions that only someone who has lived with the disease can answer. This includes understanding day-to-day challenges, discussing the disease with family, and exploring new hobbies.

The avatar is currently being trialled by people with dementia, with the goal of it becoming publicly available in the future.
• Alzheimer’s Intelligence is not publicly available yet.