Kilkari and mMitra: How Google DeepMind is helping improve maternal health

ARMMAN

, a Mumbai-based non-profit focused on

maternal health

, is leveraging AI with pro bono support from

Google DeepMind

to enhance its outreach programs,

Kilkari

and

mMitra

, and is said to be yielding promising results in improving maternal and child health across India.Kilkari, the world’s largest mobile-based maternal health program, partners with India’s Ministry of Health to deliver weekly audio messages on pregnancy, childbirth, and childcare to over 60 million women across 27 states. These free calls, starting in the second trimester and continuing until a year post-delivery, aim to reduce healthcare lapses. However, a 23% drop-off rate prompted ARMMAN to collaborate with Google DeepMind to develop an AI model that predicts optimal call times by analyzing anonymized individual and group call behaviors. A pilot in Odisha with 17,500 participants showed a 12% increase in call pickup rates for certain time slots, enhancing the delivery of critical health information.Similarly, ARMMAN’s mMitra program, serving 350,000 women in Maharashtra, used AI to identify participants at risk of disengaging. By prioritizing them for personalized outreach, including in-person support, the program retained 30% of high-risk participants. A health impact assessment revealed significant improvements: women prioritized by the AI were 22% more likely to take iron supplements, 28% more likely to take calcium, and 9% better at tracking their babies’ birth weights.These programs also foster social change, empowering women to advocate for better healthcare and rights for their daughters. ARMMAN’s AI-driven approach, replacing assumptions with data-driven insights, demonstrates technology’s potential to address global health challenges. With plans for nationwide expansion and open-sourced models, ARMMAN aims to inspire similar innovations worldwide, proving AI’s role as an accelerant for progress in maternal health.