AI can quickly screen for diabetes by listening to your voice

Scientists have discovered a way to test whether someone has diabetes by having them speak just a few sentences into their smartphone.

A team from US-based Klick Labs created an AI model that can distinguish whether a person has Type 2 diabetes from 6 to 10 seconds of voice audio — with tests revealing an 89% accuracy rate for women and 86% for men.

The study

The study involved analyzing 18,000 recordings in order to identify acoustic features that differentiated non-diabetics from diabetics. Using signal processing, researchers were able to detect subtle changes in pitch and intensity that are imperceptible to the human ear.

The tool could prove useful for the estimated 240 million adults around the world who are currently living with the condition without realizing it, according to figures from the International Diabetes Federation.

The research also demonstrates the ever-growing role AI plays in healthcare, with data science helping to improve patient treatment and assisting medical discoveries.

The researchers claim the AI model, which requires basic health data from the subject in order to determine whether they are diabetic, could be expanded to diagnose other health conditions.

The technology was detailed in a study titled "Acoustic analysis and prediction of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus using smartphone-recorded voice segments", published in the journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings: Digital Health.

On the record

"Our research highlights significant vocal variations between individuals with and without Type 2 diabetes and could transform how the medical community screens for diabetes," said Jaycee Kaufman, a research scientist at Klick Labs. "Current methods of detection can require a lot of time, travel and cost. Voice technology has the potential to remove these barriers entirely."

"Our research underscores the tremendous potential of voice technology in identifying Type 2 diabetes and other health conditions," added Yan Fossat, vice president of Klick Labs and leader of the research. "Voice technology could revolutionize healthcare practices as an accessible and affordable digital screening tool."