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When a voice can diagnose: A tool in the fight against Type 2 Diabetes
An AI-powered tool called “Voice 2 Diabetes” analyzes voice recordings to detect Type 2 diabetes, offering an accessible solution for early diagnosis, especially in underserved regions.
The findings were published in the October 2023 issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings: Digital Health. According to Klick Labs, even in its early stage, the model has the potential to reduce global healthcare costs by as much as $32.75 billion, a figure that reflects the savings from traditional blood testing and early detection. (Snippets from the campaign)
In a quiet village miles from the nearest health center, a woman lifts her mobile phone and speaks a simple phrase into the microphone. What she doesn’t realize is that her voice—an ordinary expression of language and tone—may hold the key to diagnosing a condition that affects over 500 million people worldwide.
Diabetes, long a global public health concern, continues to rise at an alarming rate. While Type 1 diabetes is typically the result of autoimmune damage to the pancreas, Type 2 diabetes—by far the more prevalent form—is frequently linked to sedentary lifestyles and poor dietary habits. In many cases, Type 2 diabetes can be managed, or even reversed, through timely diagnosis and behavioral change. Yet access to diagnostic tools remains uneven, particularly in rural and underserved communities.
In 2023, Klick Labs, a division of Klick Health based in Toronto, introduced a novel diagnostic approach that promises to upend traditional testing paradigms. Their innovation, dubbed “Voice 2 Diabetes,” uses artificial intelligence to detect Type 2 diabetes based on short voice recordings, paired with minimal personal data such as age, sex, height, and weight.
The science is grounded in acoustic analysis. Researchers studied 18,465 audio samples from 267 participants—both diabetic and non-diabetic—who were asked to record a short phrase into their smartphones six times a day over a two-week period. Using vocal biomarkers such as pitch variation, jitter, and shimmer, the model demonstrated an accuracy rate of 89 percent for women and 86 percent for men.
The findings were published in the October 2023 issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings: Digital Health. According to Klick Labs, even in its early stage, the model has the potential to reduce global healthcare costs by as much as $32.75 billion, a figure that reflects the savings from traditional blood testing and early detection.
But the project is more than a technological milestone—it is also a case study in how AI can be sensitively applied to meet the needs of developing regions. In India, where nearly half of all diabetes cases go undiagnosed and rural medical infrastructure often lags behind urban centers, the idea of voice-based diagnostics could be transformative.
To bring this message to life, Klick Health developed a campaign for the KVI Brave Fund that blended striking visuals of rural India with documentary-style footage of the technology’s development. The campaign resonated globally, amassing nearly four billion media impressions and earning the Innovation Grand Prix at the 2024 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.
“Voice 2 Diabetes” is more than an award-winning campaign; it reflects a broader shift toward democratizing healthcare through technology. As artificial intelligence continues to find new applications in medicine, this project stands as a powerful reminder that innovation, when guided by empathy and inclusivity, can reach far beyond the clinic or laboratory.
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