Guwahati, Sep 25 Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) are helping shape an AI-enabled training platform and multilingual voice chatbot designed to strengthen cervical cancer screening and community counselling in rural Assam.
Around 100 ASHAs have joined a workshop as part of a pilot study called Leveraging Artificial Intelligence for Strengthening Cervical Cancer Screening through capacity building, according to a statement issued on Friday.
The George Institute for Global Health India organised the workshop in collaboration with Cachar Cancer Hospital and Research Centre (CCHRC), Assam, on Thursday. Trainers, doctors, program coordinators, researchers, and technologists joined the session, besides ASHAs.
Through interactive discussions and exercises, ASHAs shared their experiences of supporting women with cervical cancer screening, discussed their day-to-day challenges, the kind of support that would actually help them, and how technology could make their community visits and counselling work easier.
The project, funded by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), is part of a three-year pilot study running from November 2025, and is aimed at building and testing an AI-based learning platform for ASHAs, along with a chatbot that can answer questions by voice in multiple languages, the statement said.
During the workshop, ASHAs reviewed 155 common questions people ask about cervical cancer and screening. The exercise highlighted that the questions ASHAs face most often in the field are not always the same as those considered clinically important.
These insights will inform the development of a chatbot knowledge base that addresses both priority health information needs and the practical concerns ASHAs encounter during their work, the statement stated.
The workshop also explored ASHAs’ comfort and confidence with digital technology.
Younger and middle-aged ASHAs said they regularly use mobile phones for reporting, communication and accessing information, while those in older age groups found digital tools and language more challenging but expressed willingness to learn and become more confident using them.
ASHAs also mapped out their own career paths, including training, staying sharp on what they have learned, counselling women on pregnancy or childbirth concerns, walking people through test results, and making appropriate referrals.
They also highlighted the value of voice-based interactions, simple-language content and search functions that reflect how ASHAs naturally ask questions.
They also suggested features such as short audio-visual lessons, frequently asked questions, reminders, quizzes and progress tracking.
Principal Investigator of the project Dr Anita Gadgil said that this workshop started with a simple principle that technology for ASHAs should be designed in collaboration with them.
”Their experience of explaining screening, responding to concerns and finding answers in real time will guide the language, content and functions of this AI platform. Our aim is to develop clinically validated support that fits their work, rather than adding another digital burden,” she said.
Cervical cancer is still a major health concern in India, and gaps in awareness and screening continue to impede early detection.
“ASHAs are often the ones bridging that gap, reaching women in their communities, explaining what screening involves, and connecting them to care,” she added.
The inputs from the workshop will directly shape the next phase: building the AI learning platform and chatbot. All the training content and questions will go through clinical review and repeated testing with ASHAs before rollout.
The study will examine the tool’s practicality, reception, actual usage, consistency, and scalability.
Researchers will also track ASHAs’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices to build a case for a larger future trial.
The proposed chatbot is intended to support ASHAs with training and field-based information and will not replace clinical assessment, diagnosis or referral pathways, Gadgil said.
(PTI News)
