Alexa, Amazon’s artificial intelligence-powered virtual assistant, seems to have unlimited talents. But can her skills help people with chronic health conditions?
The Alexa Diabetes Challenge, launched today, is an effort to do just that, calling on innovators around the country to develop Alexa-powered solutions for people managing Type 2 diabetes. The winner of the multi-stage competition will get $125,000 to continue developing their product.
About 27.5 million people in the United States have Type 2 diabetes, and managing the condition often means patients must make radical changes to their lifestyle that can quickly become overwhelming.
The challenge is looking for product concepts that use Amazon’s virtual assistant to help people, particularly those who have been recently diagnosed, manage the disease. The deadline for concept submissions is May 22, and the challenge organizers will hold a webinar for interested applicants on April 19.
Out of the pitches, up to five finalists will be chosen to move to the next stage. To develop their products, each finalist will receive $25,000 and 10,000 credits for Amazon Web Services, the company’s cloud computing operation. The finalists will also be mentored in a virtual accelerator and attend an Innovator’s Boot Camp at Amazon’s headquarters in Seattle.
All that will prepare the teams for Demo Day in September, held at the AWSPop-up loft in New York City. There, the finalists will demo their solutions for judges and one winner will be awarded a $125,000 grand prize.
The challenge is run by New York-based business consultant Luminary Labs, and supported by Amazon Web Services. Find all the details on applying at the challenge’s website.
