Assam health workers co-design AI tools for cervical cancer screening

The George Institute for Global Health India and the Cachar Cancer Hospital and Research Centre (CCHRC) have launched a co-design workshop in Guwahati to develop AI-driven tools for cervical cancer screening in rural Assam. Approximately 100 Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) participated in the session to help shape an AI-enabled training platform and a multilingual voice chatbot.

The initiative is part of a three-year pilot study funded by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), scheduled to run from November 2025 to November 2028. The project aims to strengthen community counseling and screening capacity by addressing the specific challenges health workers face during field visits.

During the workshop, ASHAs reviewed 155 common questions regarding cervical cancer to inform the chatbot’s knowledge base. The participants used a voting system to identify the most frequent concerns raised by women and their families, noting that community questions often differ from purely clinical priorities. The insights gathered will ensure the technology addresses both medical needs and practical field concerns.