How artificial intelligence helps our mental health
Artificial Intelligence-based "therapists" in Canada are becoming the norm.
When Entisar Bukair needs time to take care of herself and relieve stress, she opens the Mind-Easy app on her phone. There, the London lawyer is greeted by her friendly avatar with artificial intelligence named Olivia. It is she who helps Entisar with her breathing exercises and listens as she talks about her busy day.
The avatar responds to the lawyer in Arabic, because the app allows users to choose different languages for interaction. Entisar has been using the app since last November. Back then, she was looking for a simple and regular way to take care of her mental health. As a practitioner, she says it's important to be mindful of her own well-being by letting the emotions of others flow through.
Bukair said she had tried personal therapy in the past, but felt her therapist had difficulty connecting with her.
Artificial intelligence has been used in health care for years, but lately it has been used more and more in mental health care. Many telemedicine companies are using artificial intelligence to provide personalized care to patients.
Most of these companies, such as Mindstrong, Headspace and Woebot Health, use text as their primary form of communication. They provide in-person chat rooms to communicate with AI-powered "therapists."
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