An AI tool could help identify Alzheimer’s disease around two years earlier by analysing signals already recorded in patients’ clinical records.
DementAI, a prototype developed by consultancy Katalyze Data, analyses existing medical record data to flag patients who may show early signs of the condition but have not yet been referred for specialist assessment.
Built as an end-to-end working prototype, the system connects stages clinicians often manage separately, from analysing medical records to applying models within decision pathways.
It is designed to work using information healthcare providers already hold, turning fragmented data into actionable insight without adding new screening burdens.
The system combines structured medical records, brain activity data and unstructured clinical information, using synthetic data where appropriate to support development.
By blending these signals, it aims to detect subtle patterns of decline that may be difficult to identify during short consultations.
Tamás Bosznay, principal consultant at Katalyze Data, said: “We are in a race against time when it comes to dementia.
“Early identification can make a meaningful difference to how patients and families experience the condition.
“But without better ways of finding people sooner, those opportunities can be lost.
“We didn’t build DementAI just to make predictions; we built it to buy patients time.
“By surfacing the signals already hiding in plain sight within clinical records, the system is designed to help ensure that when care teams are ready to act, the right patients are identified earlier and more consistently.”
DementAI was developed as part of the SAS Hackathon 2025, where it won the healthcare and life sciences category.
The team is now seeking engagement with NHS trusts to explore pilot deployments that could validate the model’s impact and support efforts to reduce delays in diagnosis.
Dr Iain Brown, global head of AI and data science at SAS, said: “Synthetic data, agentic AI concepts and governance are not ‘nice-to-haves’ in sensitive settings like healthcare.
“They are what make innovation usable at scale.
“DementAI shows how artificial intelligence can be applied in a way that is both ambitious and responsible.