Researchers at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) are teaming up with a local organization to pioneer the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the lives of autistic and neurodiverse individuals in North Alabama. The project is being funded by Little Orange Fish (LOF), a Huntsville, Ala., non-profit, to improve access to mental healthcare for families and healthcare providers. The effort will be headed by Dr. Jerome Baudry, the Mrs. Pei-Ling Chan Chair and professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at UAH, a part of the University of Alabama System, in partnership with Dr. Daniel Adamek, the founder and executive director of Little Orange Fish.
“A difficulty for many neurodiverse persons and their caregivers and families is navigating the complex landscape of accessing care and support: medical, psychological, social, financial, educational, etc.,” Dr. Baudry explains. “This novel project will use geographic information systems (GIS) and chatbots to map the autism and neurodiversity ‘ecosystem’ in North Alabama. The goal is to develop an expert tool that will bring together all the parts of the equation: clinicians, insurances, education, state agencies and other resources.”
“First, where are the providers, the families, the schools, the educational resources? Our GIS tools will ‘connect the dots’ of all these data points,” Dr. Baudry says. “Second, we want to use artificial intelligence tools to interrogate these GIS maps in a language that is as natural as possible. We will do that by training a specialized chatbot, such as ChatGPT, that will allow, for instance, a parent of a neurodiverse child to find needed help without having to use complicated computer programs and specialized technical vocabulary.”
“This effort is not meant to build a tool that tells individuals what they should do in any situation, or to replace the clinical and social professionals,” Dr. Adamek, the director of Little Orange Fish points out. “It’s aimed at providing individuals with comprehensive information about their specific circumstances in terms they can easily understand to empower them to make better decisions and assist in getting access to essential care.
