When Vanshika was asked to identify a social issue, her thoughts were directed toward healthcare. This young girl, who always dreamt of becoming a doctor, had a clear idea about the shortcomings of the Indian health sector and decided to formulate an AI-based solution for the problem. 

“Ignoring symptoms of serious diseases can even lead to the death of people”, says Vanshika Yadav, a 10th Grade student. Vanshika was in 9th grade at Kendriya Vidyalaya, Panna, Madhya Pradesh, when she came up with the idea for an AI model called “Life Saver and Doctors Helper”. 

There are several people unaware of their health problems. In a country like India, where areas with a meagre literacy rate and issues regarding healthcare quality persist, people tend to ignore the symptoms until the very last minute. Even when they approach a healthcare professional, their inability to explain the symptoms often leads to inaccurate diagnoses. For conditions of heart and illness like cancer and diabetes, regular check-ups and a close watch are always required to prevent sudden tragedies. 

After understanding the knowledge gap between patients and doctors, she decided to develop an AI-based solution. She was among 20 winners of the National Program for Government Schools- Responsible AI for youth. After seeking training from Intel AI coaches, Vanshika learnt various AI concepts and successfully developed a smart AI-based model that can analyze symptoms presented to it and tell the user about their health issues.  

“Other AI-based healthcare chatbots will provide you with information about the disease when you type the name of the disease. Whereas in my model, the user can input their symptoms based on which it will suggest what disease the user might be having and which doctor they should go to”, added Vanshika when asked about what makes her project different from similar existing models. 

Functioning of the model 

The model maintains a database on different types of significant health conditions and the related information like causes, symptoms and treatment options. The model has been trained using the Cosine Similarity algorithm. Depending on the symptoms entered by a user, this AI technology quantifies the similarity between two or more datasets and analyses them to predict the most probable illness. The user has to fill in the symptoms, and the system gives them answers after analyzing the symptoms. It also makes the health-related information and the recommendations available to the user. This model will help people to track their health regularly. Through constant monitoring, users will be able to explain it to the doctors more accurately. This way, the patient will have more control over their diagnosis.  

Journey to Responsible AI 

Vanshika’s school teacher told her about Responsible AI for youth. “I always dream of becoming a doctor or a coder when I grow up. So, when I was asked to come up with an issue existing in our community, problems in the health sector are the first that came to my mind”. Says Vanshika. Before the Responsible AI program, she did not have any prior knowledge of AI. The initial introduction to the program gave her an idea about it. Also, she did not have access to good internet connection or laptop while taking part in the program. Only after she received a laptop from Intel, could she practically work on her project. “It felt great to be selected for the program. To be one among 20 winners of a national program where thousands took part felt amazing”, stated Vanshika, speaking about her experience in Responsible AI. 

Growing with AI 

Vanshika, currently preparing for her 10th-grade board exam, is also working to develop the accuracy of her model. This 10th grader also has a clear vision for overcoming the existing AI challenges in India. “We can reach communities in AI through campaigns and educate them about the advancements in AI”, says Vanshika. “Involving them in the process will be beneficial for them and us in the long run”. Whatever her line of work might be, Vanshika wants to work for the development of AI in our country. She hopes that she will be able to help people in whichever ways she can and is willing to work for it.