Improving Communication and Speech for People Living with Aphasia

The Queensland Aphasia Research Centre (QARC) in Australia is dedicated to empowering individuals with aphasia to regain independence in communication. A key challenge the centre faced was helping patients overcome 'word finding,' a common barrier that hinders fluent communication. To address this, QARC implemented generative AI on AWS, developing tools like the Word Finder app, which offers personalized, real-time word retrieval based on a patient’s surroundings. “Previously, it took years to develop technology that was genuinely useful for people with aphasia. Now, thanks to the speed and precision of generative AI on AWS, we can move from concept to a functional product in a fraction of the time,” said Professor David Copland, Director, Queensland Aphasia Research Centre.

The AWS generative AI powered Word Finder app AI-driven solution has transformed patient outcomes—enabling greater autonomy, reducing isolation, and restoring confidence in everyday conversations. Kori Ramajoo, a Research Speech Pathologist at QARC highlighted the rapid impact of generative AI “When we pitched the idea of the Word Finder at the AWS Hackathon, Scott was able to demonstrate in real time when he couldn’t find a word and he was able to use a basic prototype to find that word in real time in our presentation. So in seeing that as a speech pathologist it genuinely made me emotional because that’s what I hope for my clients every day”.