Artificial intelligence’s ability to analyse behaviour and create personalised content offers unprecedented opportunities to tailor autism interventions, according to an expert at Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU).Speaking at the “Advancing Inclusion: Shaping the Future of Autism Action Across QF” panel discussion yesterday, Dr Marwa Khalid Qaraqe, associate professor at HBKU’s College of Science and Engineering, underlined the capacity of artificial intelligence (AI) to fit autism approaches, therapies, and assessments to individual strengths, challenges, and needs.She said that AI possesses a remarkable capacity to learn from human behaviour, which essentially acts as a blueprint revealing a person’s characteristics.This capability, Dr Qarage pointed out, allows for a shift from subjective assessments to more objective and quantitative methods.She drew an analogy to a mother’s innate ability to understand her child’s needs through subtle cues, suggesting that AI can replicate and enhance this customised approach.Dr Qaraqe emphasised that this aim, a data-driven approach, has the potential to address a critical global need, as current assessment methods are often time-consuming and require specialised expertise that is in short supply worldwide.She was joined by Dr Khalid Fakhro, chief research officer at Sidra Medicine and professor of genomics and precision medicine at the HBKU; Matthew Campion, director at Renad Academy at Pre-University Education, Qatar Foundation; Dr Alia Satti, senior attending physician, Developmental Paediatrics and Rehabilitation Medicine, and clinical lead, Developmental Paediatrics, at Sidra Medicine; and Aisha al-Amari, advocate and co-founder of Autism Parents Platform.According to Dr Qaraqe, smart technologies also enable the creation of personalised content, varying schemes, and therapies, considering a child’s best learning methods and sensory sensitivities.In addition, they allow for “longitudinal tracking” of a child’s progress relative to their own individual baseline, moving away from predefined metrics or comparisons to other children.“Progress is still progress,” the expert stressed. “Ultimately, I think the real value in these smart technologies and AI in particular is it really enables us to effectively move from the ‘one size fits all model’ into a tailoured one.”“This is why, in this strategy, we really emphasise smart and intelligent technologies to fill the gap and move towards a more personalised assessment and interventions, not only for the autistic individual but for their families and the community at large,” Dr Qarage said.According to the QF, a key element of the initiative involves fostering AI-driven innovations and strategic partnerships to enhance early autism detection, interventions, education, assistive technology, and support for parents.The QF will also develop and test these technologies for early detection and special care through the Autism Sensing Centre (A-Sense).The strategy’s aim is to empower individuals with autism through technology, creating a more inclusive and supportive environment for them and their families.