AI-Vets is proud to participate in the 2021 AI Tech Sprint — an annual event that fosters collaboration with industry and academic partners by designing an artificial intelligence-enabled tool that leverages federal data to address a need for Veterans.
To use the power of AI to benefit Veterans, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) created the National Artificial Intelligence Institute (NAII), in 2019. The institute is tasked with bringing cutting-edge computer science to solve some of VA’s most pressing challenges. One way the NAII uses AI to improve Veterans’ health care is through the AI Tech Sprints.
Helping Veterans not served by VA
Sprints empower a novel, nimble approach to enabling innovation and product ideation that paves the way for future partnerships. The goal of this year’s sprint is to help improve Veteran health and well-being, with emphasis on new collaborations among participants and a digital tools ecosystem to help interventions for Veterans not currently served by VA.
There are 17.4 million Veterans who live in the U.S., but only 9 million of those Veterans are enrolled in VA’s health care system. Through the tech sprint, VA aims to reach out and engage these Veterans to help promote their well-being, enhance their health care, and monitor chronic health conditions.
Teams are selected to participate in this year’s Sprint
Only 40 out of 60 applicants were invited to participate in this year’s Tech Sprint. With innovative product ideas, technical AI and machine learning (ML) expertise, trusted AI solution development, and product development expertise, AI-Vets’ was accepted to this year’s Sprint.
By participating in AI Tech Sprint, we gain unique access to VA-created synthetic data, hear first-hand from Veterans, and engage in a results-driven proven model for innovation. Most importantly, AI Tech Sprint provides a mutually beneficial partnership to innovate for Veterans’ access to medical care.
AI-Vets develops solutions to impact Veteran lives
Since 2017, AI-Vets has been supporting VA’s technology infrastructure, including AI platforms.
AI-Vets utilizes AI and ML to help identify underserved veterans that are susceptible to suicide by using Suicide Attempt and Self-Injury Interview scores (SASII). SASII is an instrument designed to assess the factors involved in nonfatal suicide attempts and intentional self-injury.
“We are leveraging emerging technologies to solve crucial real-world problems, like Veteran suicide.” — Mahesh Kalva, President & CTO, AI-Vets
The 12-week event runs from January through April. Teams are hard at work developing their AI-driven innovations and will reveal their solutions when the Tech Sprint culminates on April 2, 2021.
