NCT07701668 · NOT YET RECRUITING
AI-CONECT: A Conversational AI for Early Dementia Prevention in Socially-Isolated Older Adults
This trial tests whether an AI-powered conversation tool can help reduce the risk of cognitive decline in older adults who are socially isolated and have mild cognitive impairment. Participants interact regularly with a conversational AI system, and researchers measure how and whether that social stimulation affects early dementia-related outcomes. This is a Phase NA randomized controlled trial, meaning it is testing effectiveness and mechanisms rather than basic safety.
You may qualify if
- Aged 75+
- Clinical diagnosis of MCI (any subtype) or, when a clinical diagnosis is unavailable, a Telephone-MoCA (T-MoCA) score of 15-17.
- Identified as socially isolated, defined as meeting both of the following self-reported criteria: (a) lives alone in one's own residence, and (b) engages in conversations lasting 30 minutes or longer no more than twice per week.
- GDS-15 (15-item Geriatric Depression Scale) at/below 9 (not severely depressed).
- Social self-efficacy mean ≤ 8 (on the 0-10 scale) across the 6-item Social Self-Efficacy Scale at screening, indicating low confidence in social interaction.
- Ability to understand the research consent form.
- Ability to connect a tablet to the Internet.
You're excluded if
- Diagnosed with dementia such as AD, ischemic vascular dementia, normal pressure hydrocephalus, or Parkinson's disease.
- Schizophrenia, or other major psychiatric disorder defined by DSM-IV criteria.
- Medications: (a) Frequent use of high doses of analgesics; Use of sedative medications except for those used occasionally for sleep (≤2 per week); (b) Use of unstable dosing of Cholinesterase inhibitors (need to be stable dosing for 2 months); (c) AD disease modifying monoclonal antibody treatment e.g., aducanumab or lecanemab (completed the treatment is allowed)
The sponsor's own eligibility wording, lightly reformatted. The study team makes the final eligibility decision — worth discussing with your doctor.
Eligibility criteria as of 2026-08-25