Wadhwani AI, in collaboration with AIIMS New Delhi, has announced that its artificial intelligence (AI)-powered diabetic retinopathy screening solution, MadhuNetrAI, has won the “AI for ALL: Global Impact Challenge” at the prestigious India AI Impact Summit 2026.
The AI for ALL Global Impact Challenge attracted over 4,600 applications from more than 60 countries, recognising scalable, high-impact artificial intelligence solutions addressing critical societal challenges.
MadhuNetrAI was recognised for its demonstrated ability to strengthen early detection of diabetic retinopathy (DR) within India’s public healthcare system and for its real-world deployment in collaboration with leading public institutions.
India faces one of the world’s largest diabetes burdens, with over 101 million people living with the condition. Diabetic retinopathy remains a leading cause of preventable blindness, particularly when screening is delayed or specialist access is limited. MadhuNetrAI directly addresses this gap by enabling AI-assisted analysis of retinal fundus images to classify DR severity and identify patients requiring timely referral and intervention.
Developed by Wadhwani AI in collaboration with AIIMS Delhi and under the aegis of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the solution has been clinically validated and designed specifically for deployment within public health settings.
It supports frontline healthcare providers, including optometrists, nurses, and community health officers, by assisting with image assessment, standardising grading based on internationally recognised benchmarks, and triaging referable cases. Importantly, the solution enables community based screenings even in under resources environments where specialist ophthalmologists may not be readily available.
