Massachusetts AI and Technology Center for Connected Care in Aging and Alzheimer's Disease (MAITC): Technology ID & Training Core

PROJECT SUMMARY: Technology Identification & Training Core Within the Massachusetts AI and Technology Center for Connected Care in Aging and Alzheimer's Disease (MAITC), the activities of the Technology Identification and Training Core will play a critical role in ensuring that the Center invests in innovative technologies with the greatest potential to address the most critical needs of patients, lay caregivers, and clinicians in supporting healthy aging and AD/ADRD care.

In addition, this core will make significant contributions to educating a new generation of investigators capable of bridging the gap between AI-enhanced technology and aging and AD/ADRD care. To achieve these objectives, the Technology Identification and Training Core will pursue four aims.

First, the Technology Identification and Training Core will conduct a rigorous, two-part technology identification process that determines what emerging AI-enhanced technologies have the potential to address the needs of stakeholders (i.e., older adults, lay caregivers, and clinicians) and performs initial technology assessments with these stakeholders to determine if the technologies are suitable for incorporation into pilot studies.

Second, the Technology Identification and Training Core will assist investigators in selecting the most appropriate AI- enhanced technologies and in optimizing their deployment in pilot projects.

The Technology Identification and Training Core will also help pilot project investigators maximize the impact of their research by identifying open areas for the development of new technologies.

Third, the Technology Identification and Training Core will provide training to technology developers, clinicians, and other stakeholders about the potential of available and emerging AI-enhanced technologies to support Healthy Aging and AD/ADRD care.

Fourth, the Technology Identification and Training Core will support, in coordination with other cores, a plan to broadly disseminate MIATC findings that includes issuing whitepapers describing the findings produced by the technology identification process, building and maintaining an online community of individuals interested in the work of the MIATC, and organizing multidisciplinary workshops at major technology conferences.

We expect the work of the Technology Identification and Training Core to contribute to an innovative high-impact pilot project program that will positively affect stakeholders, technologists, clinicians, and industry partners.