hyperthick

HyperThick and its pilot offerings, Patient Zeros & BodyScan AI, represent a radical reimagining of how we understand human experience, particularly in health and cognition. Conventional systems often dismiss the rich, qualitative data of lived experience and the subjective 'qualia' of being unwell, treating them as noise or irrelevant anecdotes. This fragmentation leads to diagnostic delays, fractured care, and patients feeling unheard and disempowered.

HyperThick emerges as a new research paradigm, inspired by Clifford Geertz’s 'thick description' but scaled for the AI age. It’s a methodology embracing qualitative density, moving beyond reductive data to uncover layered significance and hidden patterns within complex, messy narratives.

Within this framework, Patient Zeros is a human-first initiative designed to capture, structure, and reflect individual health stories, especially for those navigating complex, multi-systemic conditions like sarcoidosis or ADHD. Human-centred AI acts as a collaborative partner, not a prescriptive tool, enabling the capture of vital details and cross-domain connections, while providing emotional catharsis through deep listening - whether in collaboration with a human listening partner or through conversational AI alone. This empowers individuals to become self-researchers, gaining agency over their own narratives and contributing to a collective understanding that was previously impossible, paving the way for groundbreaking new discoveries. The profound impact lies in shifting from a deficit-based model to one that actively values every person's unique way of knowing, ensuring their stories are heard and leading to earlier insights and more humane, integrated care. This new research infrastructure democratises understanding, transforming subjective experience into systemic insight.