Eve, (www.iameve.ai) a healthcare AI companion, announced a partnership with the Ness Care Group, (https://nesscaregroup.co.uk) a leading UK Dementia Care organization. The two companies will roll out a program next month that uses AI to diagnose and monitor those suffering from early-stage dementia and mild cognitive impairment (MCI).

"Many people avoid getting screened for dementia," says Jonathan Hanbury, CEO @Ness, "which means we only detect a small portion of those who are affected," he added. Waitlists in the UK to see a dementia specialist can be as long as 18 months, and there is little consistency in how the disease is monitored from that point onwards.

"Mental health in older adults is under-diagnosed and under-funded" says Hanbury. "We hope to change that by reaching the most vulnerable and elderly populations in order to slow the development of dementia."

The program will use Eve - a phone & text-based AI companion - to check in with patients every day.

"The more you talk with Eve the more your relationship grows," says Ivan Wicksteed, CEO @Eve. A 2024 Harvard study suggests that AI companions like Eve can reduce feelings of loneliness by 20%.

Eve will administer standardized cognitive tests over the phone to measure and monitor brain health and mood.

The pilot study will target people over the age of 75 who have some degree of cognitive impairment and will monitor their progress over a four-week period. Some of the respondents will be prompted with daily reminders and behavioural cues to help improve their brain health.

"There are actually a lot of ways we can treat MCI & dementia, provided that we catch it early enough" says Hanbury, a leading voice in this field for over two decades. According to the Lancet Commission (2024) up to 45% of all dementia is "preventable" provided that appropriate actions are taken before it is too late.

"Our vision here" says Wicksteed "is to provide a free, accessible and reliable way for people to measure their cognitive health over time. Monitoring your brain health should be as easy as monitoring your weight."