1. How do we assess a good outcome? Is it if they stop using a therapeutic AI app in general?
2. I’ve always hesitated when replacing in person interactions (especially emotional support ones) with AI - but maybe an AI therapist is able to be there when a human isn’t? And the barrier to entry is much lower? Is there a way we can use therapeutic AI to bridge the gap & make in person therapy more appealing?
Hey Zanir, thanks for reading and for the great questions! AI would be helpful to serve as a catalyst between therapy sessions. I had the chance to interview a therapist who is anti-AI, but she stated that she would love to see summaries of AI chats to get a better understanding of her patient's mental health between sessions. Funny enough, I saw an Instagram reel and the comments were flooded with "ChatGPT is my bestie, ChatGPT is the only one that gets me" haha!
The mental health journey is new for me. In my experience, I'm unable to be in a vulnerable state at a required weekly time during the week. So the barrier to entry is extremely low to get the right, immediate access when needed. It would be awesome if my AI convos helped my therapist provide better, deeper care to me. I don't believe the AI should ever make a decision or tell a patient what to do - it should act as a listener only.
Interesting read Pranav - thanks for sharing.
Few questions:
1. How do we assess a good outcome? Is it if they stop using a therapeutic AI app in general?
2. I’ve always hesitated when replacing in person interactions (especially emotional support ones) with AI - but maybe an AI therapist is able to be there when a human isn’t? And the barrier to entry is much lower? Is there a way we can use therapeutic AI to bridge the gap & make in person therapy more appealing?
Hey Zanir, thanks for reading and for the great questions! AI would be helpful to serve as a catalyst between therapy sessions. I had the chance to interview a therapist who is anti-AI, but she stated that she would love to see summaries of AI chats to get a better understanding of her patient's mental health between sessions. Funny enough, I saw an Instagram reel and the comments were flooded with "ChatGPT is my bestie, ChatGPT is the only one that gets me" haha!
The mental health journey is new for me. In my experience, I'm unable to be in a vulnerable state at a required weekly time during the week. So the barrier to entry is extremely low to get the right, immediate access when needed. It would be awesome if my AI convos helped my therapist provide better, deeper care to me. I don't believe the AI should ever make a decision or tell a patient what to do - it should act as a listener only.
--- Pranav Varanasi