Imagine coming home after a long day at work, having just completed nine hours on the job. As you step through the door, your artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot greets you by adjusting the lights in your room. It then asks, “Hey! How was your day today?” The chatbot attentively listens to everything you say, offering comfort and providing the best advice it can.
This scenario will be a reality in the near future. Human therapists will no longer be able to charge exorbitant fees for just being an attentive ear to their patients.
A recent research study published in the New England Journal of Medicine has highlighted that AI bots, if trained properly, can be just as good or even better than human therapists at helping with mental health.
The New England Journal of Medicine conducted the first big test of AI therapy, where people were randomly chosen to try it. Scientists from Dartmouth College made this AI bot to tackle a big problem in the U.S.: there aren’t enough mental health workers.
The researchers took about 200 people who had mental health issues like depression or anxiety or were at risk for eating disorders. They split them into two groups: half used the AI therapy bot, and the other half didn’t get any treatment. The people who used the bot got a lot better compared to those who didn’t.
Researchers were surprised by how much people liked and trusted their AI bots. He said they built a strong connection with it, feeling like they could team up with the bot to work on their mental health. In human therapy, trust and bonding with the therapist are key to success, and the AI bot seemed to do just as well.
As per the reports, Nick Jacobson, a psychologist on the team, said that “Humans can’t keep up with the demand because there’s only one mental health expert for every 340 people. The idea is that AI could step in to help more people since it’s easier to make more bots than to train more humans.”
Many AI bots out there already say they can help with mental health, but some don’t work well and have even caused people to hurt themselves.
Over five years ago, Nick Jacobson and his team started building their own AI bot, teaching it the best ways to do therapy based on what experts know works.
It took a lot of experimenting and correcting mistakes to get it right. Jacobson says their bot now works as well as the best therapy studies with humans, matching the results you’d get from top-notch treatment by real therapists.
One cool thing about AI therapy is that it’s available anytime, unlike human therapists who have set hours. Nick Jacobson said he was shocked by how often people used their AI bots, like messaging it in the middle of the night about sleep problems and getting help right away.
The American Psychological Association (APA) has been worried lately about AI therapy bots that aren’t thoroughly checked or controlled, saying they could be risky. But they’re pleased with this specific bot because Jacobson’s team put significant effort into training it properly with real clinical know-how.
Vaile Wright from the American Psychological Association (APA) says this AI therapy bot is a big step in the right direction. It’s built using real psychology knowledge; it works well and seems safe, and it was made. The APA has been encouraging tech creators to focus on mental health issues with the assistance of experts.
The Dartmouth team behind the bot says it’s not ready for everyone to use yet. More tests are needed to ensure it’s good enough to sell or use.
Wright also says human therapists shouldn’t worry about AI taking their jobs. There’s such a giant shortage of mental health help in the U.S. that we need all the good therapists we can get, whether they’re people or bots. She thinks there’s plenty of work for both.
Countries like India, where mentally disturbed or depressed people are considered insane, will find this AI therapist especially useful. Further, recently, a 14-year-old Indian American boy has launched the Circadian AI app that uses AI to check for heart disease by listening to heart sounds.
Also Read: 14-Year-Old Indian-American Boy Uses AI To Detect Cardiac Issues
