A patient came to my office recently and told me she had stopped her statin. She’d been on it for two years. Her coronary artery calcium score was 280 and LDL was 168, up almost 100 points since she had stopped taking her statin. Her father had died from a heart attack at 58.
When I asked about the decision, she crossed her arms and furrowed her brow.
Exploring neuro-privacy and trust in AI – our proposal for ARIA’s Trust Everything, Everywhere programme.
We’re proud to share that Relatix Health has applied for funding from the UK’s Advanced Research and Invention Agency (ARIA) under its Trust Everything, Everywhere programme. This initiative explores how trust can be built across the digital and physical worlds, and we believe that conversation must include people whose minds work differently.
Our proposal focuses on one of the most pressing and least understood challenges of the digital age: how people with neurodevelopmental and neurodiverse conditions, including autism, ADHD, schizophrenia, borderline traits, and psychopathy, experience, interact with, and build trust in AI systems. In a world increasingly mediated by algorithms, the ways these systems interpret, respond to, and store our most personal thoughts and data matter profoundly.
Throughout history, individuals living with stigmatized neurocognitive conditions have been marginalized or misrepresented by institutions, by society, and now, potentially, by AI. Some may over-trust technology that feels neutral or supportive; others may under-trust it because of past harm or bias. We want to ensure that digital systems meet people where they are, building trust rather than eroding it, while protecting privacy and supporting quality of life, health, and wellbeing.
Through this work, Relatix Health aims to lead the way in ethical and inclusive neuro-AI design: protecting privacy, reducing stigma, and helping define standards for responsible data handling in the era of AI. Our goal is to make sure that the next generation of AI-driven tools, from chatbots to diagnostics, truly serves everyone, regardless of how their brain is wired.
We know how often things have already gone wrong, from chatbots unintentionally encouraging depressive or paranoid thoughts, to credit and gambling platforms optimizing for addiction or impulsive behaviour. These systems were not built with sufficient safeguards for people with neurodevelopmental conditions, who may react differently to AI-optimized interactions. Many respond by disengaging digitally, and may feel that an AI-driven world is a minefield because it was not built for them.
Join us in shaping a radically different future where cognitive diversity and digital trust can coexist, and AI tools are built to truly support and empower. To learn more about our mission or to collaborate, contact our team.
