What is the name of your organization?
THE CONCHUS LAB at the University of Georgia, USA
What is the name of your solution?
THE THRIVE PROJECT
Provide a one-line summary or tagline for your solution.
AI Navigator (chatbot and digital consierge) for Black maternal health
In what city, town, or region is your solution team headquartered?
Athens, GA, USA
In what country is your solution team headquartered?
USA
What type of organization is your solution team?
Other, including part of a larger organization (please explain below)
If you selected Other, please explain here.
We are researchers based at the University of Georgia
Film your elevator pitch.
What specific problem are you solving?
The U.S. has the highest rate of preventable maternal deaths among developed countries, with Black women and birthing people (BWBP) 3–5 times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than their White counterparts—even when controlling for age, location, and preexisting conditions. In some states, delivery hospital differences account for up to 60% of this disparity. BWBP also experience significantly more discrimination in hospital settings—often ignored, misinformed, or subjected to paternalistic care. These harms, combined with limited access to relevant information, increase the risk of poor outcomes. Fewer than 18% of expectant parents attend hospital childbirth classes, with White women attending at twice the rate of BWBP. A critical gap remains in education interventions that are culturally relevant and accessible to BWBP and their support systems. Online AI interventions may help fill this gap by improving access, cultural tailoring, and integrating advice, resources, and peer support. AI tools can incorporate data on social determinants of health to create person-centered, respectful care plans aligned with the needs and preferences of Black pregnant people and their families. Integrating AI with community-based approaches may offer a culturally grounded, scalable solution to reduce racial disparities in maternal health.
What is your solution?
This project proposes an AI-powered digital concierge/navigator that enhances and scales the THRIVE project’s existing maternal health animation and game-based learning tools. The AI system will serve as a personalized health concierge, guiding users through interactive educational content, facilitating decision-making through simulated maternal health scenarios, and connecting them with real-world maternal health resources.
1. This solution builds on two existing THRIVE prototypes:
2. The animation series presents culturally responsive maternal health stories that address common challenges Black mothers face, including provider bias, postpartum recovery, and mental health.
The interactive game allows users to role-play as Black mothers and doulas, engaging in decision-making exercises that help them practice self-advocacy, understand risk factors, and navigate healthcare settings.
The AI-powered digital navigator will integrate these assets into a scalable, personalized, and interactive maternal health support system. It will use natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning algorithms to provide tailored health information, guide users through educational content, and match them with relevant maternal health services.
Who does your solution serve, and in what ways will the solution impact their lives?
We aim to support over 500,000 BWBP who give birth annually in the United States by giving them and their BC’s tailored information to survive and thrive, despite a slow-changing healthcare system. The vast majority of expectant parents (98.4%) in the United States opt into standardized prenatal treatment and care within a hospital-based system, which does not offer tailored childbirth education. Our digital navigator can be used as a supplement in various maternal health education contexts, including traditional hospital classes. It can also be used by: (1) doulas and midwives clients who operate independently, and (2) companions of Black birthing people who encompass a possible range of individuals such as family, friends, partners, who may also be racially diverse. The fact that these assets are online means that they can be easily shared by BWBP with their chosen companions and care team. We believe that by developing and sharing innovations like this AI digital navigator, we believe we are contributing to a solution to the need for respectful and meaningful treatment and care that is required by BWBP.
