Do We Dare Use Generative AI for Mental Health?

IF 2.6 4区工程技术 Q2 ENGINEERING, ELECTRICAL & ELECTRONIC

IEEE Spectrum Pub Date : 2024-06-06 DOI:10.1109/MSPEC.2024.10551790

Casey Sackett;Devin Harper;Aaron Pavez

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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.

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我们敢将人工智能用于心理健康吗？

心理健康应用 Woebot 于 2017 年推出，当时 "聊天机器人 "还不是一个耳熟能详的词，人们在寻求治疗师时只能想象与人类交谈。Woebot 是一个令人兴奋的新事物：人们可以通过一个反应灵敏、感同身受、人工智能驱动的聊天机器人，按需获得心理健康支持。用户发现，这个友好的机器人化身每天都会查看他们的情况，跟踪他们的进展，并随时与他们沟通。如今，情况已大不相同。心理健康服务的需求激增，而临床医生的供应却停滞不前。有成千上万的应用程序为心理健康和保健提供自动支持。而 ChatGPT 已经帮助数百万人尝试了对话式人工智能。但是，即使全世界都对生成式人工智能着迷，人们也看到了它的弊端。作为一家依赖对话的公司，Woebot Health 不得不决定，生成式人工智能是否能让 Woebot 成为更好的工具，或者这项技术是否太过危险，不能将其纳入我们的产品。Woebot 的设计目的是进行结构化对话，通过对话提供循证工具，其灵感来自认知行为疗法（CBT），这是一种旨在改变行为和情感的技术。在整个发展历程中，Woebot Health 一直在使用人工智能的一个分支学科--自然语言处理（NLP）的技术。该公司巧妙地使用了人工智能，并在设计上进行了改进--Woebot 使用 NLP 只是为了更好地理解用户的书面文字，以便以最合适的方式做出回应，从而鼓励用户更深入地参与到这一过程中来。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

IEEE Spectrum 工程技术-工程：电子与电气

CiteScore

2.50

自引率

0.00%

发文量

254

审稿时长

4-8 weeks

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.