AI in Dementia Care: Opportunities for Low Resource Settings

Dementia is becoming a growing public health concern around the world, and in low-resource environments like Sub-Saharan Africa, where under diagnosis and lack of access to specialist care are significant challenges, the condition is a growing burden. Artificial intelligence (AI) has become one of the promising tools to aid in the diagnosis, management, and care of dementia; however, its implementation in resource- limited settings requires careful consideration. This letter identifies the possible use of AI to improve early detection with mobile and computerized cognitive screening devices, assist caregivers by using digital technologies, and monitor individuals with dementia. At the same time, it underscores critical challenges, including infrastructural limitations, cultural acceptability, data privacy concerns, algorithmic bias due to underrepresentation of African populations, and weak governance frameworks. Our argument is that to effectively integrate AI into dementia care in Africa, it is important to focus on context sensitive design, ethical oversight, capacity building, and robust local and global partnerships to achieve this goal.