{"title":"Do We Dare Use Generative AI for Mental Health?","authors":"Casey Sackett;Devin Harper;Aaron Pavez","doi":"10.1109/MSPEC.2024.10551790","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"The mental-health app Woebot launched in 2017, back when “chatbot” wasn't a familiar term and someone seeking a therapist could only imagine talking to a human being. Woebot was something exciting and new: a way for people to get on-demand mental-health support in the form of a responsive, empathic, AI-powered chatbot. Users found that the friendly robot avatar checked in on them every day, kept track of their progress, and was always available to talk something through. ¶ Today, the situation is vastly different. Demand for mental-health services has surged while the supply of clinicians has stagnated. There are thousands of apps that offer automated support for mental health and wellness. And ChatGPT has helped millions of people experiment with conversational AI. ¶ But even as the world has become fascinated with generative AI, people have also seen its downsides. As a company that relies on conversation, Woebot Health had to decide whether generative AI could make Woebot a better tool, or whether the technology was too dangerous to incorporate into our product. ¶ Woebot is designed to have structured conversations through which it delivers evidence-based tools inspired by cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), a technique that aims to change behaviors and feelings. Throughout its history, Woebot Health has used technology from a subdiscipline of AI known as natural-language processing (NLP). The company has used AI artfully and by design—Woebot uses NLP only in the service of better understanding a user's written texts so it can respond in the most appropriate way, thus encouraging users to engage more deeply with the process.","PeriodicalId":13249,"journal":{"name":"IEEE Spectrum","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.6000,"publicationDate":"2024-06-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"IEEE Spectrum","FirstCategoryId":"5","ListUrlMain":"https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10551790/","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"ENGINEERING, ELECTRICAL & ELECTRONIC","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
The mental-health app Woebot launched in 2017, back when “chatbot” wasn't a familiar term and someone seeking a therapist could only imagine talking to a human being. Woebot was something exciting and new: a way for people to get on-demand mental-health support in the form of a responsive, empathic, AI-powered chatbot. Users found that the friendly robot avatar checked in on them every day, kept track of their progress, and was always available to talk something through. ¶ Today, the situation is vastly different. Demand for mental-health services has surged while the supply of clinicians has stagnated. There are thousands of apps that offer automated support for mental health and wellness. And ChatGPT has helped millions of people experiment with conversational AI. ¶ But even as the world has become fascinated with generative AI, people have also seen its downsides. As a company that relies on conversation, Woebot Health had to decide whether generative AI could make Woebot a better tool, or whether the technology was too dangerous to incorporate into our product. ¶ Woebot is designed to have structured conversations through which it delivers evidence-based tools inspired by cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), a technique that aims to change behaviors and feelings. Throughout its history, Woebot Health has used technology from a subdiscipline of AI known as natural-language processing (NLP). The company has used AI artfully and by design—Woebot uses NLP only in the service of better understanding a user's written texts so it can respond in the most appropriate way, thus encouraging users to engage more deeply with the process.
期刊介绍：
IEEE Spectrum Magazine, the flagship publication of the IEEE, explores the development, applications and implications of new technologies. It anticipates trends in engineering, science, and technology, and provides a forum for understanding, discussion and leadership in these areas.
IEEE Spectrum is the world''s leading engineering and scientific magazine. Read by over 300,000 engineers worldwide, Spectrum provides international coverage of all technical issues and advances in computers, communications, and electronics. Written in clear, concise language for the non-specialist, Spectrum''s high editorial standards and worldwide resources ensure technical accuracy and state-of-the-art relevance.
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