Diabetes assistant: one of the first three projects in the Latvian MI regulatory sandbox

The Diabetes Assistant developed by ANIMAS is one of three projects selected by the Artificial Intelligence Center (MIC) from 10 submissions for the first special regulatory environment for the development of AI systems. At the beginning of August, MIC adopted the first administrative acts that define the conditions for the development and testing of the system in a controlled environment under the supervision of competent authorities.

ANIMAS-DA is an AI-driven decision support tool for planning daily insulin dosing for children with type 1 diabetes. The system aggregates continuous glucose monitoring data, carbohydrate assessments derived from meal images, physical activity metrics, and individual physiological parameters. It provides recommendations on carbohydrate amounts, safe intervals for bolus corrections, and forecasts the risk of hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia.

"In developing the Diabetes Assistant, one of the main tasks at the early stages of development was to establish a safe, responsible, and legally grounded approach to the use of real health data, including training the artificial intelligence model. Therefore, we chose a non-clinical mode for the first development phase, which allows for the evaluation of data processing, model performance, and safety mechanisms in a controlled environment. Timely consultations with the State Agency of Medicines and the Data State Inspectorate help clarify applicable requirements and adequately prepare for compliance assessment during the development phase." – Gatis Romanovskis, Director of SIA "Animas"

MIC Director Guna Puce emphasizes that the sandbox is not an exemption from requirements but a structured path to compliance. Early discussions with regulators help to ask the right questions from the outset: how to safely use health data, how to build a reliable AI system, and how to prepare for requirements before the product reaches users.

The project's beginning is very personal. At the Kurzeme Forum 2026 in Ventspils, Gatis Romanovskis was joined on stage by his son Gusts. The jury rated the project as socially significant, noticeable, and useful.

Sources: Labs of Latvia, VDAA on the special regulatory environment.