Duke Launches Hub to Advance AI for Aging and Dementia Care

Artificial intelligence holds plenty of promise for healthcare, but very few tools advance into daily clinical use. Duke University wants to change that.

Duke is launching a new national resource called the Duke Artificial Intelligence and Technology Collaboratory for Aging: Governance and Evaluation (Duke AITC-AIGE). The new center is supported by nearly $25 million over five years from the National Institute on Aging.

According to the university, the center aims to build the infrastructure needed to move safe, tested AI tools directly into care for older adults and people living with dementia.

Accelerating Technology in a Clinical Setting

Researchers are currently testing AI that tracks speech patterns or wearable data to spot early cognitive decline, prevent falls, or help manage medications. However, testing these tools in real-world settings is typically when the process stalls.

“This work is about making AI real-world ready, building the infrastructure and the collaborations to be able to move AI in a very trustworthy way into practice,” said Juliessa Pavon, MD, associate professor in the Division of Geriatrics and one of the project’s principal investigators. “We do not have a shortage of AI algorithms. We have a shortage of AI solutions that have been rigorously evaluated, safely implemented, continuously monitored — and shown that it really improves real-world outcomes for older adults. Our goal is to build the pathway that moves promising AI from an idea to a trusted, useful tool in practice.”

About $4 million of the center’s $5 million annual budget will go directly toward funding research projects across the U.S., with a strong focus on Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.

Labeling AI for Safety and Access

Duke is introducing standardized “model cards” to help doctors understand how the systems work. These cards will clearly outline what a tool does, the data used to train it, its limitations, and where potential biases might exist.

“Just as clinicians would not prescribe a medication without understanding its risks and benefits, we believe users of AI should have clear information about how a tool works and when it should or should not be used,” Pavon added.

The initiative also aims to share these resources beyond major research universities. Rishi Kamaleswaran, PhD, associate professor of surgery and anesthesiology, noted the center wants to reach community researchers and patients who have good ideas but lack massive technical budgets.

“We’re about improving lives, not just improving these algorithms,” Pavon said. “Five years from now, success will mean that researchers and health systems have a clearer, reproducible pathway for turning AI innovation into safe, and meaningful benefit for older adults.”