Brunei Darussalam’s team, ΣHAI, represented by Ummi Salwa Suhaimei and Hein Minn Tun @ Salman from The Pengiran Anak Puteri Rashidah Sa'adatul Bolkiah Institute of Health Sciences (PAPRSB HIS), Universiti Brunei Darussalam, achieved a significant regional milestone after emerging as overall champion at the inaugural AI Ready ASEAN Youth Challenge 2026 held in conjunction with the ATxSummit 2026 in Singapore, with their innovative AI-powered dementia care platform known as Sahabat-Care.
The AI Ready ASEAN Youth Challenge is a regional ideation competition aimed at empowering young people across Southeast Asia to develop Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based solutions to address social challenges within their communities. Organised by AI Singapore and the ASEAN Foundation, with support from Google.org and the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) of Singapore, the initiative forms part of the broader AI Ready ASEAN programme aimed at equipping 5.5 million people with foundational AI literacy and capabilities.
Held under the theme “AI for an Inclusive and Sustainable ASEAN”, the Challenge attracted more than 600 submissions from youths representing all ASEAN Member States. Following a highly competitive selection process, 11 finalist projects were shortlisted spanning sectors including healthcare, education, social inclusion and agriculture.
Brunei Darussalam’s Team ΣHAI secured first place, followed by Cambodia in second place and Myanmar in third place, with all three teams recognised for their innovative AI-driven solutions aligned with the Challenge’s focus on knowledge, skills and learning, scientific progress and stronger communities.
The top three prizes were presented by His Excellency Tharman Shanmugaratnam, President of the Republic of Singapore, during the Opening Gala Dinner of ATxSummit 2026 held at Gardens by the Bay. Also present was Yang Berhormat Pengiran Dato Seri Setia Shamhary bin Pengiran Dato Paduka Haji Mustapha, Minister of Transport and Infocommunications, alongside ASEAN Ministers, regional policymakers, industry leaders and technology stakeholders attending the summit.
Team ΣHAI’s winning project, Sahabat-Care, was developed with reference to increasing prevalence of dementia cases across ASEAN, driven by ageing populations and longer life expectancy, which continue to place growing pressure on families and healthcare systems. The challenge would be further amplified by limited caregiver support and the lack of digitally validated tools for early dementia detection.
The platform utilises multimodal AI technology through speech, language, video and audio analysis to generate longitudinal cognitive risk assessments, personalised bilingual caregiving guidance powered by Large Language Models (LLMs), as well as structured clinical summaries to support earlier intervention and continuous monitoring.
In sharing the inspiration behind the project, Team ΣHAI said: “Through Sahabat-Care, we wanted to address the growing challenge of dementia detection and caregiver support in Southeast Asia. This platform has helped us explore how AI can support caregivers with more timely insights, personalised guidance and better decision-making for elderly care.”
The achievement reflects the growing capabilities of Brunei Darussalam’s youth in harnessing emerging technologies to drive impactful innovation, while underscoring the importance of continued investment in digital innovation, research and future-ready talent development towards building a resilient and inclusive digital future for both the nation and the wider ASEAN community.
Prepared by:
Ministry of Transport and Infocommunications, Brunei Darussalam
Email: erc@mtic.gov.bn
Date: 20 May 2026
