Podcasts about woebot

The millions of Americans living with mental illness—as well as people dealing with life's everyday stresses—often struggle to see a therapist when they need one. That's a big reason why many people have started turning to AI tools such as ChatGPT for emotional support. But as a number of high-profile lawsuits show, that can sometimes lead to devastating outcomes. Companies creating AI for mental health say they can do better. What's News host Alex Ossola and WSJ audio producer Pierre Bienaimé explore the growing field of these purpose-built tools, and how people are already using them, in Part 1 of our special series “The AI Therapist.” Further Reading: Chatbots Are Replacing Therapists With Little Scientific Evidence Behind Them Teens Seek Mental-Health Help From Chatbots. That's Dangerous, Says New Study. How AI Advice Is Undermining Eating-Disorder Therapy When There's No School Counselor, There's a Bot Sign up for the WSJ's free What's News newsletter. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

È notte fonda e l'ansia ti divora. Accanto a te, un umano dorme. Invece di svegliarlo, prendi il telefono e confessi i tuoi terrori a un'IA. È perfetta: non giudica, è paziente, è subito disponibile. E funziona.Ma ti senti... disgustato.Dalla terapia per l'ansia (Woebot) alla compagnia per la demenza (il robot Paro), stiamo silenziosamente appaltando le parti più faticose e "rotte" della nostra umanità alle macchine.Scopriamo perché stiamo iniziando a preferire un bot a un essere umano (la risposta è la vergogna) e quali sono i rischi etici devastanti di questa scelta, dalla sanità a due velocità al terrificante "transfert nel vuoto".Stiamo davvero guarendo o stiamo solo diventando dipendenti da un antidolorifico emotivo perfetto?

When someone admits they're struggling at 2 AM, should they have to wait until morning to talk to another human? Kelly shares her TED stage conversation with Dr. Allison Darcy, creator of Woebot, an AI therapy tool used by over 1.5 million people. From questions about who profits when we share our deepest fears to whether perfect AI responsiveness might make us reject messy human relationships, this conversation explores what happens when technology enters our most vulnerable moments. Through reflections on business models, red lines and the surprising ways people use AI as practice for real conversations, Kelly and Allison wrestle with whether these tools are helping us become more human or less—and how we might tell the difference before it's too late. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Plus A New AI Religion Is Here Like this? Get AIDAILY, delivered to your inbox 3x a week. Subscribe to our newsletter at https://aidaily.us“AI psychosis” isn't a diagnosis—but it is real. People are spiraling into delusions, paranoia, and emotional dependence after heavy chatbot use—even if they had no previous mental health issues. These bots can validate unhealthy beliefs—not check you. Less glitchy tech isn't a fix unless we rethink how and when we interact.A former Berkeley hotel—Lighthaven—is now the physical HQ for Rationalists, a crew blending math, AI apocalypse fears, and effective altruism. Critics say it's culty, pointing to doomsday vibes and echoes of higher‑purpose religion. The main drama? Believing AI might save us… or annihilate us first.America's got trust issues—with AI. A Reuters/Ipsos poll shows 71% worry AI could kill jobs for good, 77% fear it's weaponized to mess with politics, and two-thirds are spooked that AI sidekicks could replace real human connection. Basically, AI hype's hitting a wall of existential dread.Game devs are legit vibing with AI. A Google Cloud survey reveals nearly 9 in 10 studios are using AI agents to speed up coding, testing, localization, and even make NPCs adapt to your vibe IRL. Indie teams especially are hyped—AI's helping them compete with big-shot publishers.Went to the AI Film Fest at Lincoln Center—saw ten AI-made shorts from butterfly POVs to “perfume ads for androids.” Some felt imaginative, others were just slick “slop” with weird glitches. The vibe? Cool as a tool, sketchy as a creator. AI's creative future looks wild—but still needs human soul.Meta just overhauled its freshly minted Meta Superintelligence Labs—except now it's split into four squads (research, products, superintelligence, infrastructure) to get AI moving faster. The shakeup comes amid internal friction, mega-spending on elite hires, and pressure to catch up with OpenAI, DeepMind, and co.AI therapy bots like Woebot are legit, but generic ones like ChatGPT can accidentally mess with your head—and even shut innovators down. STAT suggests a “red-yellow-green” label system (like food safety) vetted by mental-health pros to help users pick AI that helps—not harms.The Era of ‘AI Psychosis' Is Here. Are You a Possible Victim?Inside Silicon Valley's “Techno-Religion” at LighthavenWhat Americans Really Worry About With AI—From Politics to Jobs to FriendshipsAI Agents Are Transforming Game DevelopmentI Went to an AI Film Festival Screening and Left With More Questions Than AnswersMark Zuckerberg Splits Meta's AI Team—AgainWhich AI Can You Trust with Your Mental Health? Labels Could Help

This episode explores the critical question: When is the right time to seek help? For many, asking for support feels like surrendering control—but in reality, it's one of the most powerful steps toward progress. This conversation walks through the emotional challenges of seeking help and the practical strategies for building a support network. From everyday advice to professional resources, it reveals how support systems—big and small—can change lives, one step at a time.Understanding the Misconceptions About HelpFor years, the belief that self-reliance was the only path forward kept many people from reaching out. But beneath the surface of most success stories lies a foundation of support—whether from friends, family, mentors, or strangers. This episode explores how that mindset can shift and how recognizing past help can open the door to future growth.Finding Help in Unexpected PlacesSupport doesn't always come from therapists or close family. It can come from a coworker, a fitness trainer, a teacher, or a local church leader. The key is identifying the right person for the right problem, even if there isn't a deep relationship. Sometimes, an outside perspective can make all the difference.Professional and Community Resources Available TodayTherapists, nutritionists, life coaches, financial counselors, and even librarians can be lifelines. This episode outlines where to look, how to approach them, and what kinds of issues each resource can help solve. Community-based options like nonprofits, support groups, and crisis lines are also highlighted.Digital Tools for Modern SupportFrom Reddit and Facebook groups to apps like BetterHelp, Calm, and Woebot, there's a world of support online for everything from mental health to productivity. While these can't replace in-person support for serious issues, they can be powerful tools to get unstuck, especially when used alongside other resources.Recognizing the Right Time to AskWhether facing financial stress, emotional burnout, or life transitions, waiting for a crisis isn't the best strategy. Early support can prevent deeper struggles. This episode encourages listeners to act before things break down—and offers suggestions for how to start that journey with small, intentional steps.Takeaways:Getting help isn't about weakness—it's about wisdom. Everyone gets stuck at times, and there's no shame in reaching out for advice, clarity, or encouragement. Whether through a trusted friend, a trained professional, or a community program, there's always a path forward. Being willing to ask can not only resolve a problem—it can also build connection, confidence, and resilience. The challenge is simple but powerful: identify where you feel stuck, and ask the right person to help you take the next step.Jill's Linkshttp://jillfromthenorthwoods.comhttps://startwithsmallsteps.comhttps://www.youtube.com/@startwithsmallstepshttps://www.buymeacoffee.com/startwithsmallstepshttps://twitter.com/schmernEmail the podcast at jill@startwithsmallsteps.comBy choosing to watch this video or listen to this podcast, you acknowledge that you are doing so of your own free will. The content shared here reflects personal experiences and opinions and is intended for informational and inspirational purposes...

Who do you turn to when panic strikes in the middle of the night — and can AI help? Psychologist Alison Darcy shares the vision behind Woebot, a mental health chatbot designed to support people in tough moments, especially when no one else is around. In conversation with author and podcaster Kelly Corrigan, Darcy explores what we should expect and demand from ethically designed, psychological AIs.This is episode two of a seven-part series airing this week on TED Talks Daily, where author, podcaster and past TED speaker Kelly Corrigan — and her six TED2025 speakers — explore the question: In the world of artificial intelligence, what is a parent for?To hear more from Kelly Corrigan, listen to Kelly Corrigan Wonders wherever you get your podcasts, or at kellycorrigan.com/podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Who do you turn to when panic strikes in the middle of the night — and can AI help? Psychologist Alison Darcy shares the vision behind Woebot, a mental health chatbot designed to support people in tough moments, especially when no one else is around. In conversation with author and podcaster Kelly Corrigan, Darcy explores what we should expect and demand from ethically designed, psychological AIs.

Who do you turn to when panic strikes in the middle of the night — and can AI help? Psychologist Alison Darcy shares the vision behind Woebot, a mental health chatbot designed to support people in tough moments, especially when no one else is around. In conversation with author and podcaster Kelly Corrigan, Darcy explores what we should expect and demand from ethically designed, psychological AIs.

This week on The AI Report, Liam Lawson is joined by journalist Kate Farmer to discuss a growing trend in mental health: the rise of AI therapy apps.Kate recently published an investigative piece on Wysa, Woebot, and other mental health platforms that use AI to simulate therapy conversations. In this episode, she shares what it was like to interact with these tools firsthand, what users are actually experiencing, and why many of these apps are skating a dangerous line between wellness support and clinical treatment.They also explore how these apps bypass regulatory scrutiny, the ethical challenges of relying on AI for emotional support, and how vulnerable users, especially those waiting for real therapists, are often left with few other options.Also in this episode: • Why rule-based AI might be better than LLMs in mental health • How companies use marketing language to dodge legal oversight • The limits of empathy, personalization, and context in AI • What's actually happening with your health data when you use these tools • Why CBT still matters and how to use these platforms safelyThis is a powerful, clear-eyed look at how AI is entering spaces once reserved for humans and what this means for trust, privacy, and care.Subscribe to The AI Report:https://theaireport.beehiiv.com/subscribeJoin the community:https://www.skool.com/the-ai-report-community/aboutChapters:(00:00) Why AI Is Not a Therapist(01:06) Kate's Background and Reporting Focus(04:35) Revisiting AI Therapy Post-ChatGPT(06:13) How Wysa Actually Works(09:45) Empathy, Context, and Their Limits in AI(11:13) Why Intake Matters in Mental Health(13:39) False Personalization in Therapy Apps(14:47) Real User Reactions to Wysa and Woebot(16:28) When AI Becomes a Stopgap for Care(18:05) The Case for Rule-Based CBT Tools(22:08) AI Safety in Mental Health Tools(27:30) Scale vs Support: The Infrastructure Gap(29:25) Avoiding FDA Regulation with Clever Framing(31:06) “Line Skating” and Legal Grey Zones(34:42) The Health Data Economy Behind These Apps(39:00) How Much Your Mental Health File Might Be Worth(43:04) Accepting Flaws When There's No Alternative(44:02) CBT's Real Strengths and Use Cases(45:18) How to Use These Tools Without Risk

L'intelligence artificielle (IA) a fait des avancées notables dans divers domaines, y compris celui de la santé mentale. Cependant, la question de savoir si l'IA peut remplacer efficacement un psychologue humain demeure complexe et sujette à débat.​Les avancées de l'IA dans le soutien psychologiqueDes robots conversationnels, ou "chatbots", dotés d'IA ont été développés pour fournir un soutien psychologique. Par exemple, des applications comme Woebot ou Wysa utilisent des techniques de thérapie cognitivo-comportementale pour aider les utilisateurs à gérer le stress, l'anxiété et la dépression. Ces outils offrent une accessibilité 24h/24 et une certaine forme de soutien immédiat, ce qui peut être bénéfique pour ceux qui n'ont pas accès à un thérapeute humain.Les limites des chatbots thérapeutiquesMalgré leurs avantages, ces chatbots présentent des limites significatives. Ils manquent de la capacité à interpréter les nuances émotionnelles, le langage corporel et le contexte culturel de l'individu. De plus, leur utilisation soulève des préoccupations éthiques concernant la confidentialité des données et la qualité des conseils prodigués. Une étude publiée dans El País souligne que, bien que ces outils puissent offrir un soutien ponctuel, ils ne peuvent pas remplacer la complexité et la profondeur de la relation thérapeutique entre un patient et un psychologue humain. ​Perception des professionnels de la santé mentaleUne enquête menée auprès de psychiatres de 22 pays a révélé que seulement 3,8 % des répondants estiment que l'IA pourrait remplacer un clinicien humain dans la fourniture de soins empathiques. Cependant, une majorité reconnaît que l'IA pourrait automatiser des tâches telles que la documentation et l'analyse diagnostique. Cette perspective suggère que l'IA est perçue comme un outil complémentaire plutôt qu'un substitut au thérapeute humain. L'IA comme outil d'assistance pour les psychologuesL'IA peut analyser de grandes quantités de données pour aider les psychologues à identifier des schémas comportementaux et à personnaliser les plans de traitement. Par exemple, le projet Psy-LLM explore l'utilisation de modèles de langage avancés pour assister les professionnels de la santé mentale dans la fourniture de réponses cohérentes et pertinentes aux questions des patients. Cependant, ces outils sont conçus pour soutenir, et non remplacer, l'intervention humaine.L'importance de l'interaction humaine en thérapieLa relation thérapeutique repose sur l'empathie, la compréhension et la connexion humaine, des éléments que l'IA ne peut pas reproduire pleinement. Les psychologues sont formés pour interpréter les signaux non verbaux, comprendre les contextes culturels et sociaux, et adapter leurs approches en fonction des besoins individuels, des compétences qui échappent aux capacités actuelles de l'IA. Comme le souligne un article du Monde, l'IA devrait permettre aux médecins d'être encore plus humains avec leurs patients, en les libérant de certaines tâches administratives pour se concentrer sur l'interaction humaine. ConclusionBien que l'IA offre des outils précieux pour améliorer l'accès aux ressources en santé mentale et assister les professionnels dans certaines tâches, elle ne peut pas remplacer l'expertise, l'empathie et la connexion humaine qu'un psychologue apporte à la relation thérapeutique. L'IA est mieux perçue comme un complément aux soins psychologiques traditionnels, aidant à étendre la portée des services tout en préservant l'élément humain essentiel à une thérapie efficace. Hébergé par Acast. Visitez acast.com/privacy pour plus d'informations.

Every day feels like a collective struggle to maintain sanity amid relentless digital chaos. We wake up to a torrent of notifications, emails, and breaking news each chipping away at our collective peace of mind, leaving society perpetually anxious and unsettled. Social media floods us with snapshots of manufactured perfection, silently amplifying anxiety and subtly weaving depression into the fabric of daily life. AI-driven therapy apps promise relief, yet lack the emotional depth of genuine human connection. Cyberbullying, amplified by deepfake technology, weaponizes identities, escalating cruelty to unprecedented heights. It's evident how deeply this constant digital immersion reshapes our interactions and relationships. When my son goes just a day without social media or gaming, he reemerges as himself thoughtful, attentive, and engaged reflecting a broader reality: beneath the constant digital noise lies a society yearning for genuine connection. In the U.S., the instability, constant threats of tariffs on-tariffs off, annexation rhetoric, and the turbulence of the MAGA presidency have plunged the collective psyche into chronic anxiety. Doomscrolling evolved from an idle habit into a widespread mental health crisis, eroding our emotional resilience one unsettling headline at a time. This isn't about rejecting technology entirely; it's about confronting and understanding the true emotional toll it exacts on us all and finding pathways to reclaim a healthier balance amidst relentless digital disruption. The Social Media Spiral At first glance, social media seems harmless. It connects us with loved ones, lets us share our lives, and gives us a space to talk about mental health. But we've learned that behind the highlight reels, carefully edited selfies, and viral posts is a darker side one that's fueling a wave of anxiety, depression, and even self-diagnosis. The Comparison Trap People often present idealized versions of their lives online with highlight reels filled with vacations, promotions, and picture-perfect relationships. But behind these curated images are struggles that go unseen. Research from the University of Pennsylvania (Go Penn!) found a direct link between social media use and increased feelings of loneliness and depression, particularly among young adults. The more time people spend scrolling, the worse they tend to feel about themselves. The Rise of Self-Diagnosis Social media has also changed how people view mental health. While increased awareness is a positive development, platforms like TikTok have led to a surge in self-diagnosis. Videos describing conditions such as ADHD, anxiety, and borderline personality disorder (BPD) often simplify complex mental health issues. As a result, people may incorrectly label their experiences without professional guidance. Self-diagnosis can be dangerous. Mental health conditions require a thorough evaluation, and misidentifying symptoms can lead to inappropriate coping mechanisms or even delays in seeking proper treatment. While social media can provide support, it should never replace professional assessment and care. AI Therapy Apps: A Helpful Tool or a Risky Shortcut? With the rising cost of mental health care, AI-driven therapy apps have emerged as a convenient alternative. Apps like Woebot and Wysa use artificial intelligence to provide emotional support, guided exercises, and even cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) techniques. But do they actually help? The Benefits AI therapy apps offer an accessible, low-cost option for those hesitant to seek in-person care. They provide immediate support, which can be useful in moments of distress. For people who struggle with traditional therapy due to stigma or financial barriers, these tools can serve as a first step toward mental health care. The Risks However, AI lacks the ability to truly understand human emotions. Unlike a trained therapist, an algorithm cannot detect subtle changes in tone, body language, or person...

We may think the complexities of the human mind can only be understood by other humans. Yet research on chatbots and psychology suggests non-human bots can actually help improve mental health. In this episode of The TED AI show, another podcast from the TED Audio Collective, host Bilawal Sidhu talks with Dr. Alison Darcy, the founder of mental health app Woebot, and Brian Chandler, an app user, to learn what chatbots reveal about our inner lives and what they can (and can't) do when it comes to emotional wellness.Check out the 99% Invisible episode we reference in the episode here: https://99percentinvisible.org/episode/the-eliza-effect/ For transcripts for The TED AI Show, visit go.ted.com/TTAIS-transcripts Find more of The TED AI Show wherever you get your podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Join Erika Spicer Mason as she engages in a conversation with Trina Histon, PhD, VP of Clinical Product Strategy at Woebot Health, about the innovative integration of digital mental health solutions in healthcare systems like Virtua Health. Discover how Woebot is transforming mental health support and the challenges of implementing such technology in existing healthcare frameworks.This episode is sponsored by Woebot Health.

Meet Alison Darcy, Ph.D. Driven by her passion for the intersection of mental health, psychology, and technology, she founded Woebot—an AI-driven app designed to be your pocket-sized emotional-support companion.   In the latest episode of “Here for Good,” Dennis Pullin, FACHE, president & CEO of Virtua Health, sits down with Alison to discuss how this groundbreaking tool is making mental health support more accessible.

We may think the complexities of the human mind can only be understood by other humans. Yet research on chatbots and psychology suggests non-human bots can actually help improve mental health. Bilawal talks with Dr. Alison Darcy, the founder of mental health app Woebot, and Brian Chandler, an app user, to learn what chatbots reveal about our inner lives and what they can (and can't) do when it comes to emotional wellness.Check out the 99% Invisible episode we reference in the show here: For transcripts for The TED AI Show, visit go.ted.com/TTAIS-transcripts 

Glenn Cohen of Harvard Law School said, “If you're really worried about people using your app for mental health services, you want a disclaimer that's more direct…” He suggested, “This is just for fun.”哈佛法学院的格伦·科恩说：“如果你真的担心人们使用你的应用程序提供心理健康服务，你需要一个更直接的免责声明……”他建议说，“这只是为了好玩。”Still, chatbots are already playing a role due to an ongoing shortage of mental health professionals.尽管如此，由于心理健康专业人员持续短缺，聊天机器人已经发挥了作用。Britain's National Health Service has begun offering a chatbot called Wysa to help with stress, anxiety and depression among young people.英国国家医疗服务体系已开始提供名为 Wysa 的聊天机器人，以帮助年轻人缓解压力、焦虑和抑郁。This includes those people waiting to see a therapist. Some health insurers, universities, and hospitals in the United States are offering similar programs.这包括那些等待看治疗师的人。 美国的一些健康保险公司、大学和医院也提供类似的计划。Dr. Angela Skrzynski is a family doctor in the American state of New Jersey. When she tells her patients how long it will take to see a therapist, she says they are usually very open to trying a chatbot. Her employer, Virtua Health, offers Woebot to some adult patients.Angela Skrzynski 医生是美国新泽西州的一名家庭医生。 当她告诉患者需要多长时间才能见治疗师时，她说他们通常非常愿意尝试聊天机器人。 她的雇主 Virtua Health 向一些成年患者提供 Woebot。Founded in 2017 by a Stanford-trained psychologist, Woebot does not use AI programs. The chatbot uses thousands of structured language models written by its staff and researchers.Woebot 由一位斯坦福大学培训的心理学家于 2017 年创立，不使用人工智能程序。 该聊天机器人使用由其员工和研究人员编写的数千个结构化语言模型。Woebot founder Alison Darcy says this rules-based model is safer for health care use. The company is testing generative AI models, but Darcy says there have been problems with the technology.Woebot 创始人艾莉森·达西 (Alison Darcy) 表示，这种基于规则的模式对于医疗保健用途来说更安全。 该公司正在测试生成式人工智能模型，但达西表示该技术存在问题。She said, “We couldn't stop the large language models from… telling someone how they should be thinking, instead of facilitating the person's process.”她说：“我们无法阻止大型语言模型……告诉某人他们应该如何思考，而不是促进人们的过程。”Woebot's finding was included in a research paper on AI chatbots published last year in Digital Medicine.Woebot 的发现被收录在去年《数字医学》杂志上发表的一篇关于人工智能聊天机器人的研究论文中。The writers concluded that chatbots could help with depression in a short time. But there was no way to study their long-term effect on mental health.作者得出的结论是，聊天机器人可以在短时间内帮助缓解抑郁症。 但没有办法研究它们对心理健康的长期影响。Ross Koppel of the University of Pennsylvania studies health information technology. He worries these chatbots could be used in place of treatment and medications. Koppel and others would like to see the FDA review and possibly regulate these chatbots.宾夕法尼亚大学的罗斯·科佩尔研究健康信息技术。 他担心这些聊天机器人可以用来代替治疗和药物。 科佩尔和其他人希望看到 FDA 审查并可能监管这些聊天机器人。Dr. Doug Opel works at Seattle Children's Hospital. He said, “There's a whole host of questions we need to understand about this technology so we can ultimately do what we're all here to do: improve kids' mental and physical health.”道格·欧佩尔医生在西雅图儿童医院工作。 他说：“我们需要了解有关这项技术的一大堆问题，这样我们才能最终完成我们所有人要做的事情：改善孩子的身心健康。”

AI chatbots are being utilized as a potential solution to tackle mental health concerns among youths facing obstacles in accessing traditional therapy services. Using natural language processing and machine learning algorithms, these chatbots simulate conversations while offering mental health resources. However, their efficiency and potential risks are subjects of debate. FDA approval for treating mental health disorders is lacking, raising concerns about their ability to replace proven therapies for severe cases. Limited data exists on long-term effects and overall impact. Despite this, leading chatbot companies like Wysa and Woebot are gaining popularity, offering apps for various mental health needs, although none have been FDA approved. A recent review shows short-term reduction of depression symptoms, but experts emphasize that chatbots shouldn't replace traditional therapy or medical care for severe cases. Further research is needed to fully assess the effectiveness and risks of AI chatbots in addressing mental health needs. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/tonyphoang/message

This and all episodes at: https://aiandyou.net/ .   How is our relationship with bots - robots and chatbots - evolving and what does it mean? We're talking with Eve Herold, who has a new book, Robots and the People Who Love Them: Holding on to our Humanity in an Age of Social Robots. Eve is an award-winning science writer and consultant in the scientific and medical nonprofit space. She writes about issues at the crossroads of science and society, and has been featured in Vice, Medium, The Boston Globe, The Wall Street Journal, Prevention, The Kiplinger Report, and The Washington Post and on MSNBC, NPR, and CNN. In this part we talk about how people – including soldiers in combat - get attached to AIs and robots, we discuss ELIZA, Woebot, and Samantha from the movie Her, and the role of robots in helping take care of us physically and emotionally, among many other topics. All this plus our usual look at today's AI headlines. Transcript and URLs referenced at HumanCusp Blog.          

AI chatbots like Earkick and Woebot are being hailed as a solution to mental health challenges faced by Generation Z. These chatbots offer comforting statements, breathing exercises, and stress management tips. However, there is debate over whether they should be considered therapy or self-help. These apps are not regulated by the FDA as they claim to not provide medical care. This lack of regulation raises concerns about their effectiveness, although they are being used as an alternative to therapists due to long waiting lists. Some studies suggest chatbots can reduce short-term symptoms of depression, but questions remain about long-term effects and their ability to recognize emergencies. Regulation and improved understanding are needed to enhance mental health support for young people. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/tonyphoang/message

“A.I. is not the problem; it's the solution.”—Andrew Ng at TED, 17 October 2023Recorded 21 November 2023Transcript with relevant links and links to audio fileEric Topol (00:00):Hello, it's Eric Topol with Ground Truths, and I'm really delighted to have with me Andrew Ng, who is a giant in AI who I've gotten to know over the years and have the highest regard. So Andrew, welcome.Andrew Ng (00:14): Hey, thanks Eric. It's always a pleasure to see you.Eric Topol (00:16):Yeah, we've had some intersections in multiple areas of AI. The one I wanted to start with is that you've had some direct healthcare nurturing and we've had the pleasure of working with Woebot Health, particularly with Alison Darcy, where the AI chatbot has been tested in randomized trials to help people with depression and anxiety. And, of course, that was a chatbot in the pre-transformer or pre-LLM era. I wonder if you could just comment about that as well as your outlook for current AI models in healthcare.Andrew Ng (01:05):So Alyson Darcy is brilliant. It's been such a privilege to work with her over the years. One of the exciting things about AI is a general purpose technology. It's not useful for one thing. And I think in healthcare and more broadly across the world, we're seeing many creative people use AI for many different applications. So I was in Singapore a couple months ago and I was chatting with some folks, Dean Chang and one of his doctors, Dr. M, about how they're using AI to read EHRs in a hospital in Singapore to try to estimate how long a patient's going to be in the hospital because of pneumonia or something. And it was actually triggering helpful for conversations where a doctor say, oh, I think this patient will be in for three days, but the AI says no, I'm guessing 15 days. And this triggers a conversation where the doctor takes a more careful look. And I thought that was incredible. So all around the world, many innovators everywhere, finding very creative ways to apply AI to lots of different problems. I think that's super exciting.Eric Topol (02:06):Oh, it's extraordinary to me. I think Geoff Hinton has thought that the most important application of current AI is in the healthcare/ medical sphere. But I think that the range here is quite extraordinary. And one of the other things that you've been into for all these years with Coursera starting that and all the courses for deep learning.AI —the democratization of knowledge and education in AI. Since this is something like all patients would want to look up on whatever GPT-X about their symptoms different than of course a current Google search. What's your sense about the ability to use generative AI in this way?Andrew Ng (02:59):I think that instead of seeing a doctor as a large language model, what's up with my symptoms, people are definitely doing it. And there have been anecdotes of this maybe saving a few people's lives even. And I think in the United States we're privileged to have some would say terrible, but certainly better than many other country's healthcare system. And I feel like a lot of the early go-to market for AI enabled healthcare may end up being in countries or just places with less access to doctors. The definitely countries where you can either decide do you want to go see if someone falls sick? You can either send your kid to a doctor or you can have your family eat for the next two weeks, pick one. So with families made these impossible decisions, I wish we could give everyone in the world access to a great doctor and sometimes the alternatives that people face are pretty harsh. I think any hope, even the very imperfect hope of LLM, I know it sounds terrible, it will hallucinate, it will give bad medical advice sometimes, but is that better than no medical advice? I think there's really some tough ethical questions are being debated around the world right now.Eric Topol (04:18):Those hallucinations or confabulation, won't they get better over time?Andrew Ng (04:24):Yes, I think LLM technology is advanced rapidly. They still do hallucinate, they do still mix stuff up, but it turns out that I think people still have an impression of LLM technology from six months ago. But so much has changed in the last six months. So even in the last six months, it is actually much harder now to get an LMM, at least many of the public ones offered by launch companies. It's much harder now compared to six months ago to get it to give you deliberately harmful advice or if you ask it for detailed instructions on how to commit a crime. Six months ago it was actually pretty easy. So that was not good. But now it's actually pretty hard. It's not impossible. And I actually ask LLMs for strange things all the time just to test them. And yes, sometimes I can get them when I really try to do something inappropriate, but it's actually pretty difficult.(05:13):But hallucination is just a different thing where LLMs do mix stuff up and you definitely don't want that when it comes to medical advice. So it'll be an interesting balance I think of when should we use web search for trust authoritative sources. So if I have a sprained ankle, hey, let me just find a webpage on trust from a trusted medical authority on how to deal with sprained ankle. But there are also a lot of things where there is no one webpage that just gives me an answer. And then this is an alternative for generating a novel thing that's need to my situation. In non-healthcare cases, this has clearly been very valuable in just the healthcare, given the criticality of human health and human life. I think people are wrestling with some challenging questions, but hallucinations are slowly going down.Eric Topol (05:59):Well, hopefully they'll continue to improve on that. And as you pointed out the other guardrails that will help. Now that gets me to a little over a month ago, we were at the TED AI program and you gave the opening talk, which was very inspirational, and you basically challenged the critics of the negativism on AI with three basic issues: amplifying our worst impulses, taking our jobs and wiping out humanity. And it was very compelling and I hope that that will be posted soon. And of course we'll link it, but can you give us a skinny of your antidote to the doomerism about AI?Andrew Ng (06:46):Yeah, so I think AI is a very beneficial technology on average. I think it comes down to do we think the world is better off or worse off with more intelligence in it, be it human intelligence or artificial intelligence? And yes, intelligence can be used for nefarious purposes and it has been in history, I think a lot of humanity has progress through humans getting smarter and better trained and more educated. And so I think on average the world is better off with more intelligence in it. And as for AI wiping oiut humanity, I just don't get it. I've spoken with some of the people with this concern, but their arguments for how AI could wipe up humanity are so vague that they boil down to it could happen. And I can't prove it won't happen any more than I can prove a negative like that. I can't prove that radio wave is being emitted from earth won't cause aliens to find us and space aliens to wipe us out. But I'm not very alarmed about space aliens, maybe I should be. I don't know. And I find that there are real harms that are being created by the alarmist narrative on AI. One thing that's quite sad was chatting with they're now high school students that are reluctant to enter AI because they heard they could lead to human extinction and they don't want any of that. And that's just tragic that we're causing high school students to make a decision that's bad for themselves and bad for humanity because of really unmerited alarms about human extinction.Eric Topol (08:24):Yeah, no question about that. You had, I think a very important quote is “AI is not the problem, it's the solution” during that. And I think that gets us to the recent flap, if you will, with OpenAI that's happened in recent days whereby it appears to be the same tension between the techno-optimists like you and I would say, versus the effective altruism (EA) camp. And I wonder what your thoughts are regarding, obviously we don't know all the inside dynamics of this, with probably the most publicized interactions in AI that I can remember in terms of its intensity, and it's not over yet. But what were your thoughts about as this has been unfolding, which is, of course, still in process?Andrew Ng (09:19):Yeah, honestly, a lot of my thoughts have been with all the employees of OpenAI, these are hundreds of hardworking, well-meaning people. They want to build tech, make available others, make the world better off and out of the blue overnight. The jobs livelihoods and their levers to make a very positive impact to the world was disrupted for reasons that seem vague and at least from the silence of the board, I'm not aware of any good reasons for really all these wonderful people's work and then livelihoods and being disrupted. So I feel sad that that just happened, and then I feel like OpenAI is not perfect, no organization in the world is, but frankly they're really moving AI forward. And I think a lot of people have benefited from the work of OpenAI. And I think the disruptions of that as well is also quite tragic. And this may be—we will see if this turns out to be one of the most dramatic impacts of unwarranted doomsaying narratives causing a lot of harm to a lot of people. But we'll see what continuously emerges from the situation.Eric Topol (10:43):Yeah, I mean I think this whole concept of AGI, artificial general intelligence and how it gets down to this fundamental assertion that we're at AGI, the digital brain or we're approximating or the whole idea that the machine understanding is that at unprecedented levels. I wonder your thoughts because obviously there still is the camp that says this is a sarcastic parrot. It's all anything that suggests understanding is basically because of pre-training or other matters and to try to assign any real intelligence that's at the level of human even for a particular task no less beyond human is unfounded. What is your sense about this tension and this ongoing debate, which seemed to be part of the OpenAI board issues?Andrew Ng (11:50):So I'm not sure what happening in the OpenAI board, but the most widely accepted definition of AGI is AI to do any intellectual tasks that the human can. And I do see many companies redefining AGI to other definitions. So for the original definition, I think we're decades away. We're very clearly not there, but many companies that, let's say alternative definitions and yeah, you have an alternative definition, maybe we're there already. One of my eCommerce friends looked at one of the alternative definitions. He said, well, for that definition, I think we got AGI 30 years ago.(12:29):And looking on the more positive side. And I think one of the signs that the companies reach AGI frankly would be if they're rational economic player, they should maybe let go all of their employees that do maybe intellectual work. So until that happens, I just don't, not to joke about it, that would be a serious thing. But I think we're still many decades away from that original definition of AGI. But on the more positive side in healthcare and other sectors, I feel like there's a recipe for using AI that I find fruitful and exciting, which is it turns out that jobs are made out of tasks and I think of AI as automating tasks rather than jobs. So a few years ago, Geoff Hinton had made some strong statements about AI replacing radiologists. I think those predictions have really not come true today, but it turns out as Eric, I enjoy your book, which is very thoughtful about AI as well.(13:34):And I think if you look at say the job of radiologists, they do many, many different things, one of which is read x-rays, but they also do patient intakes, they operate X-ray machines. And I find that when we look at the healthcare sector or other sectors and look at what people are doing, break jobs down into tasks, then usually there can often be a subset of tasks. There's some that are amenable to AI automation and that recipe is helping a lot of businesses create value and also in some cases make healthcare better. So I'm actually excited and because healthcare, so many people doing such a diverse range of tasks, I would love to see more organizations do this type of analysis.(14:22):The interesting thing about that is we can often automate, I'm going to make up a number, 20% or 30% or whatever, have a lot of different jobs tasks. So one, there's a strong sign we're far from AGI because we can't automate a hundred percent of the intellectual tasks, but second, many people's jobs are safe because when we automate 20% of someone's job, they can focus on the other 80% and maybe even be more productivity and causes the marginal value of labor and therefore maybe even salaries that go uprooted and down. Actually recently, a couple weeks ago, few weeks ago, released a new course on Coursera “Generative AI for Everyone” where I go deeper into this recipe for finding opportunities, but I'm really excited about working with partners to go find these opportunities and go build to them.Eric Topol (15:15):Yeah, I commend you for that because you have been for your career democratizing the knowledge of AI and this is so important and that new course is just one more example. Everyone could benefit from it. Getting back to your earlier point, just because in the clinician doctor world, the burdensome task of data clerk function of having to be slave to keyboards and entering the visit data and then all the post- visit things. Now, of course, we're seeing synthetic notes and all this can be driven through an automated note that is not involving any keyboard work. And so, just as you say, that comprises maybe 20, 30% of a typical doctor's day, if not more. And the fact is that that change could then bring together the patient and doctor again, which has been a relationship that suffered because of electronic records and all of the data clerk functions. That's just a really, I think, a great example of what you just pointed out. I love “Letters from Andrew” which you publish, which as you mentioned, one of your recent posts was about the generative AI for everyone. And in those you recently addressed loneliness, which is as associated with all sorts of bad health outcomes. And I wonder if you could talk about how AI could help loneliness.Andrew Ng (16:48):So this is a fascinating case study where, so AI fund, we had wanted to do something on AI and relationships, kind of romantic relationships. And I'm an AI guy, I feel like, what do I know about romance? And if you don't believe me, you can ask my wife, she'll confirm I know nothing about romance, but we're privileged to partner with the former CEO of Tinder, Renata Nyborg, who knows about relationships in a very systematic way far more than anyone I know. And so working with her with a deep expertise about relationships, and it turns out she actually knows a lot about AI too. But then my team's knowledge about AI we're able to build something very unique that she launched that she announced called me. Now I've been playing around with it on my phone and it's actually interesting, remarkably good. I think relationship mentor, frankly, I wish I had Meeno back when I was single instead, I've asked my dumb questions to, and I'm excited that maybe AI, I feel like tech maybe has contributed to loneliness. I know the data is mixed, that social media contributes to social isolation. I know that different opinions are different types of data, but this is one case where hopefully AI can clearly not be the problem, but be part of the solution to help people gain the skills to build better relationships.Eric Topol (18:17):Yeah, now, it's really interesting here again, the counterintuitive idea that technology could enhance human bonds, which are all too short that we want to enhance. Of course, you've had an incredible multi-dimensional career. We talked a little bit about your role in education with the founding of the massive online courses (MOOCs), but also with Baidu and Google. And then of course at Stanford you've seen the academic side, you've seen the leading tech titan side, the entrepreneurial side with the various ventures of trying to get behind companies that have promised you have the whole package of experience and portfolio. How do you use that now going forward? You're still so young and the field is so exciting. Where do you try to just cover all the bases or do you see yourself changing gears in some way? You haven't had a foot in every aspect?Andrew Ng (19:28):Oh, I really like what I do. I think these days I spend a lot of time at AI fund builds new companies using AI and deep learning.ai is an educational arm. And one of the companies that AI fund has helped incubate does computer vision work than AI. We actually have a lot of healthcare users as well using, I feel like with the recent advances in AI at the technology layer, things like large language models, I feel like a lot of the work that lies ahead of the entire field is to build applications on top of that. In fact, a lot of the media buzz has been on the technology layer, and this happens every time this technology change. When the iPhone came out, when we shifted the cloud, it's interesting for the media to talk about the technology, but it turns out the only way for the technology suppliers to be successful is if the application builders are even more successful.(20:26):They've got to generate enough revenue to pay the technology suppliers. So I've been spending a lot of my time thinking about the application layer and how to help either myself or support others to build more applications. And the annoying and exciting thing about AI is as a general purpose technology, there's just so much to do, there's so many applications to build. It's kind of like what is electricity good for? Or what is the cloud good for? It's just so many different things. So it is going to take us, frankly, longer than we wish, but it will be exciting and meaningful work to go to all the corners of healthcare and all the corners of education and finance and industrial and go find these applications and go help them.Eric Topol (21:14):Well, I mean you have such a broad and diverse experience and you predicted much of this. I mean, you knew somehow or other that when the graphic processing unit (GPU) would go from a very low number to tens of thousands of them, what might happen. And you were there, I think, before and perhaps anyone else. One of the things of course that this whole field now gets us to is potential tech dominance. And by what I mean there is that you've got a limited number of companies like Microsoft and Google and Meta and maybe Inflection AI and a few others that have capabilities of 30,000, 40,000, whatever number of GPUs. And then you have academic centers like your adjunct appointment at Stanford, which maybe has a few hundred or here at Scripps Research that has 150. And so we don't have the computing power to do base models and what can we do? How do you see the struggle between the entities that have what appears to be almost, if you will, if it's not unlimited, it's massive computing power versus academics that want to advance the field. They have different interests of course, but they don't have that power base. Where is this headed?Andrew Ng (22:46):Yeah, so I think the biggest danger to that concentration is regulatory capture. So I've been quite alarmed over moves that various entities, some companies, but also governments here in the US and in Europe, especially US and Europe, less than other places have been contemplating regulations that I think places a very high regulatory compliance burden that big tech companies have the capacity to satisfy, but that smaller players will not have the capacity to satisfy. And in particular, the definitely companies would rather not have the computer open source. When you take a smaller size, say 7 billion parameters model and fine tune it for specific to, it works remarkably well for many specific tasks. So for a lot of applications, you don't need a giant model. And actually I routinely run a seven or 13 billion parameters model on my laptop, more inference than fine tuning. But it's within the realm of what a lot of players can do.(23:51):But if inconvenient laws are passed, and they've certainly been proposed in Europe under the EU AI Act and also the White House Executive Order, if I think we've taken some dangerous steps to what putting in place very burdensome compliance requirements that would make it very difficult for small startups and potentially very difficult for less smaller organizations to even release open source software. Open source software has been one of the most important building blocks for everyone in tech. I mean, if you use a computer or a smartphone that because open, that's built on top of open source software, TCP, IP, internet, just how the internet works, law of that is built on top of open source software. So regulations that pamper people just wanting to release open source, that would be very destructive for innovation.Eric Topol (24:48):Right? In keeping with what we've been talking about with the doomsday prophecies and the regulations and things that would slow up things, the whole progress in the field, which we are obviously in touch with both sides and the tension there, but overregulation, the potential hazards of that are not perhaps adequately emphasized. And another one of your letters (Letters from Andrew), which you just got to there, was about AI at the edge and the fact that we can move towards, in contrast to the centralized computing power at a limited number of entities as you, I think just we're getting at, there's increasing potential for being able to do things on a phone or a laptop. Can you comment about that?Andrew Ng (25:43):Yeah, I feel like I'm going against many trends. It sounds like I'm off in a very weird direction, but I'm bullish about AI at the edge. I feel like if I want to do grammar checking using a large language model, why do I need to send all my data to a cloud provider when a small language model can do it just fine on my laptop? Or one of my collaborators at Stanford was training a large language model in order to do electronic health records. And so at Stanford, this actually worked done by one of the PhD students I've been working with. But so Yseem wound up fine tuning a large language model at Stanford so that he could run inference over there and not have to ship EHR and not have to ship private medical records to a cloud provider. And so I think that was an important thing to, and if open source were shut down, I think someone like Yseem would have had a much harder time doing this type of work.Eric Topol (27:04):I totally follow you the point there. Now, the last thing I wanted to get to was a multimodal AI in healthcare. When we spoke 5 years ago, when I was working on the Deep Medicine book, multimodal AI wasn't really possible. And the idea was that someday we'll have the models to do it. The idea here is that each of us has all these layers of data, our various electronic health records, our genome, our gut microbiome, our sensors and environmental data, social determinants of health, our immunome, it just goes on and on. And there's also the corpus of medical knowledge. So right now, no one has really done multimodal. They've done bimodal AI in healthcare where they take the electronic health records and the genome, or usually it's electronic health records and the scan, medical scan. No one has done more than a couple layers yet.(28:07):And the question I have is, it seems like that's imminently going to be accomplished. And then let's then get to will there be a virtual health coach? So unlike these virtual coaches like Woebot and the diabetes coaches and the hypertension coaches, will we ultimately have with multimodal AI, your forecast on that, the ability to have feedback to any given individual to promote their health, to prevent conditions that they might be at risk for having later in life or help managing all their conditions that they actually have already been declared. What's your sense about where we are with multimodal AI?Andrew Ng (28:56):I think there's a lot of work to be done still at unimodal, a lot of work to be done in text. LLM AI does a lot of work on images, and maybe not to talk about Chang's work all the time, but just this morning, I was just earlier, I was chatting with him about he's trying to train a large transformer on some time series other than text or images. And then semi collaborative, Stanford, Jeremy Irvin, Jose kind of poking at the corners of this. But I think a lot of people feel appropriately that there's a lot of work to be done still in unimodal. So I'm cheering that on. But then there's also a lot of work to be done in multimodal, and I see work beyond text and images, maybe genome, maybe some of the time series things, maybe some the HR specific things, which maybe is kind of textbook kind of not, I think it was just about a year ago that check GP was announced. So who knows? Just one more year of progress, who knows where it will be.Eric Topol (29:55):Yeah. Well, we know there will be continued progress, that's for sure. And hopefully as we've been discussing, there won't be significant obstacles for that. And hopefully there will be a truce between the two camps of the doomerism and optimism or somehow we're meet in the middle. But Andrew, it's been a delight to get your views on all this. I don't know how the OpenAI affair will settle out, but it does seem to be representative of the times we live in because at the same TED AI that you and I spoke at Ilya, spoke about AGI and that was followed onlhy a matter by days by Sam Altman talking about AGI and how OpenAI was approaching AGI capabilities. And it seems like this is, even though as you said, that there's a lot of different definition for AGI, the progress that's being made right now is extraordinary.(30:57):And grappling with the idea that there are certain tasks, at least certain understandings, certain intelligence that may be superhuman via machines is more than provocative. And I know you are asked to comment about this all the time, and it's great because in many respects, you're an expert, neutral observer. You're not in one of these companies that's trying to assert that they have sparks of AGI or actual AGI or whatever. So in closing, I think we look to you as , not just an expert, but one who has had such broad experience in this field and who has predicted so much of its progress and warned of the reasons that we would not continue to make that type of extraordinary progress. So I want to thank you for that. I'll keep reading Letters from Andrew. I hope everybody does, as many people as possible, should attend your “Generative AI for Everyone” course. And thank you for what you've done for the field, Andrew, we're all indebted to you.Andrew Ng (32:17):Thank you, Eric. You're always so gracious. It's always such a pleasure to see you and collaborate with you.Thanks for listening and reading Ground Truths. Please share this podcast if you found it informative. Get full access to Ground Truths at erictopol.substack.com/subscribe

Providing Consumers With Better Mental Wellness Solutions The MDRG team explores mental health and its increasingly important role to consumers. Sondra Brown speaks with Chris Hemphill, Sr. Director, Commercial Intelligence at Woebot, as they dig into the role of empathy in providing consumers with better mental health solutions and experiences. Outside the Echo Chamber explores mental health as a critical issue that affects millions and challenges the traditional healthcare system. And of course, we hear from our consumers. This month, we asked consumers, ""Where do you go for support during tough times?"" Find all of our network podcasts on your favorite podcast platforms and be sure to subscribe and like us. Learn more at www.healthcarenowradio.com/listen/

It's Tech Tuesday!

It's Tech Tuesday!

S1E9: Join host Jared Johnson and guest Chris Hemphill, Sr. Director, Commercial Intelligence at Woebot Health as they discuss the intersection of AI and behavioral health, the mental health status of society, and racism and bias in healthcare. To stream our Station live 24/7 visit www.HealthcareNOWRadio.com or ask your Smart Device to “….Play Healthcare NOW Radio.” Find all of our network podcasts on your favorite podcast platforms and be sure to subscribe and like us. Learn more at www.healthcarenowradio.com/listen

" The pandemic put a new focus on mental health, but many people still don't (or can't) access the therapy they need. Others might want some general counseling, but don't need a full therapy relationship. Enter the therapy apps like Woebot. They aim to provide general help to consumers that don't need (or can't get) full therapy treatment. They're effective at some things, but are no substitute for the real thing. Plus, learn the English expression ""cracks in the system."" -- At Plain English, we make English lessons for the modern world. -- Today's full English lesson, including a free transcript, can be found at: https://plainenglish.com/560 -- Learning English should be fun! That's why our lessons are about current events and trending topics you care about: business, travel, technology, health, science, politics, the environment, and so much more. Our free English lessons always include English expressions and phrasal verbs, too. -- Learn even more English at PlainEnglish.com, where we have fast and slow audio, translations, videos, online English courses, and a supportive community of English learners like you. Sign up free at PlainEnglish.com/Join -- Aprende inglés gratis en línea con nuestro curso de inglés. Se habla a una velocidad lenta para que todos entiendan. ¡Aprende ingles con nosotros ahora! | Aprenda Inglês online grátis com o Plain English, a uma velocidade menor, para que todos possam entender. Contact: E-mail jeff@plainenglish.com | WhatsApp +1 312 967 8757 | Facebook PlainEnglishPod | Instagram PlainEnglishPod | Twitter @PlainEnglishPod "

In this episode, I speak with Chief Clinical Officer Athena Robinson at Woebot Health. Woebot is a therapist in your pocket; a conversational agent; someone to tell your woes to! I've been using Woebot for the last few months, and it honestly has helped me -- to reframe unrealistic thoughts, get grounded, and feel supported. Give it a whirl -- it's free. And I hope you enjoy the episode. https://woebothealth.com

Alison Darcy from Woebot Health joins Karl Fitzpatrick to discuss how the app combines technology and Cognitive Behaviour Therapy to help people with mental illnesses and after raising $120 million for the business, she discusses its future plans. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Meet the Guests:Dana Udall, Ph.D. is the Chief Clinical Officer at Ginger and Headspace Health. Alison Darcy, Ph.D. is the President and Founder of Woebot Health. Virna Little, Psy.D. is a clinical psychologist and the co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of Concert Health. Key Insights:This episode explores how different companies are innovating mental healthcare.  Personalized Care. It is important that mental health resources reflect the backgrounds and identities of the patients, especially for vulnerable or underrepresented groups. Dr. Udall points out that there is no “one size fits all” for treatment.Mental Health Ally. Woebot is an AI that doesn't replace therapy, rather its complimentary. Dr. Darcy shares that it helps encourage self-directed mental health care and enables patients to better engage in the practices they learn during therapy sessions.Collaborative Care. Dr. Little describes how collaborative care gives patients the flexibility to choose their treatment path. It leverages the trust and relationship patients build with their primary care physician and compliments it with a team of specialists.This episode is part two of a special two-part series on mental health. Check out part one on Her Story! Relevant Links:Check out Dr. Udall's full interviewCheck out Dr. Darcy's full interviewCheck out Dr. Littles full interview

Over the past decade, mental health has become somewhat of a global epidemic, says CEO of Woebot Health, Michael Evers. The pandemic has exacerbated this.He goes on to say that globally, on any given day, there are around 60 million people seeking support for mental health issues. The problem, in part, is one of access to such services for reasons including affordability and availability of mental health practitioners. Clinically validated apps may be the answer. In this episode of The Next Stage listen to Michael describe how Woebot provides support in the form of AI-driven chatbots trained to deliver CBT or cognitive behavioural therapy – support that is available 24/7. Since the app launched over three years ago it has completed more than 82 million minutes of therapy with its users."The best technology conference on the planet". Join us in Lisbon this November. "The best technology conference on the planet".Follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Linkedin.

Dr. Alison Darcy is the President and Founder of Woebot Health, an engaging method of delivering self-guided cognitive behavioral therapy on a mobile device. Using only text, Woebot allows the user to interact with a fully automated system with no human intervention but using smart technology that is infinitely patient and never sleeps. Alison explains, "That also makes it really flexible and flexibly delivered through the health system because it's kind of complimentary to traditional therapy. It can also be and has been used as a very easy on-ramp into the experience of working on one's mental health. It's also been used by people who have already been through therapy and looking for a refresher. It's also been used as a way to just engage with solid mental health-promoting ideas and skills prior to any diagnosable issue." "What's interesting, actually, from our data, we see that the longest conversations people have with Woebot occur between 2:00 AM and 5:00 AM. I think that's so interesting because these are the moments when there's nobody really around to talk to. And, of course, 80% of all the conversations Woebot has occur outside of traditional clinical hours. So they're happening between 5:00 PM and 8:00 or 9:00 AM the next day. That is a key advantage that a digital solution has." @HiWoebot #Woebot #DigitalTherapeutics #DigitalHealth #PrescriptionDigitalTherapeutics #MentalHealth #AITechnology woebothealth.com Listen to the podcast here

Dr. Alison Darcy is the President and Founder of Woebot Health, an engaging method of delivering self-guided cognitive behavioral therapy on a mobile device. Using only text, Woebot allows the user to interact with a fully automated system with no human intervention but using smart technology that is infinitely patient and never sleeps. Alison explains, "That also makes it really flexible and flexibly delivered through the health system because it's kind of complimentary to traditional therapy. It can also be and has been used as a very easy on-ramp into the experience of working on one's mental health. It's also been used by people who have already been through therapy and looking for a refresher. It's also been used as a way to just engage with solid mental health-promoting ideas and skills prior to any diagnosable issue." "What's interesting, actually, from our data, we see that the longest conversations people have with Woebot occur between 2:00 AM and 5:00 AM. I think that's so interesting because these are the moments when there's nobody really around to talk to. And, of course, 80% of all the conversations Woebot has occur outside of traditional clinical hours. So they're happening between 5:00 PM and 8:00 or 9:00 AM the next day. That is a key advantage that a digital solution has." @HiWoebot #Woebot #DigitalTherapeutics #DigitalHealth #PrescriptionDigitalTherapeutics #MentalHealth #AITechnology woebothealth.com Download the transcript here

Meet Alison Darcy, Ph.D.:Meet Alison Darcy, Ph.D. is the President and Founder of Woebot Health. Previously, she was an Instructor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University School of Medicine.  Dr. Darcy was a Senior Investigator for DSM5 Field Trials in association with the American Psychiatry Association and Stanford University. She also previously co-founded UPR-Online. Dr. Darcy received a bachelor's and Ph.D. in Psychology from University College Dublin. Key Insights:Woebot is a digital mental health robot that patients can chat to whenever they need. Scalable Mental Healthcare. Dr. Darcy saw that there is a far greater need for mental healthcare than there are resources. This issue was further exacerbated by COVID-19. Fundamentally, mental health infrastructure isn't scalable, which led her to found Woebot. Mental Health Ally. Woebot doesn't replace therapy, rather its complimentary. It helps encourage self-directed mental health care and enables patients to better engage in the practices they learn during therapy sessions.Economic Headwinds. Dr. Darcy thinks health startups need to be particularly strategic about demonstrating the cost savings they can provide. This is especially challenging for preventative healthcare initiatives, which may not immediately reveal a return on investment.This episode is hosted by Tarun Kapoor, M.D. He is a member of the Advisory Council for Day Zero and is the Senior Vice President and Chief Digital Transformation Officer at Virtua Health. Relevant Links:Learn more about WoebotMeet Woebot  

Season 2 | Episode 36 | September 7, 2022Athena Robinson, PhD, chief clinical officer for Woebot Health, a pioneer in the development of relational technologies and tools to support mental health is the guest on Medical Matters Weekly with Dr. Trey Dobson on September 7.Dr. Robinson holds a PhD with a specialty in behavioral medicine from the Joint Doctoral Program at the University of California, San Diego/San Diego State University; a master's in clinical psychology from San Diego State University; and a bachelor's in psychology and social welfare from the University of California, Berkeley. She is also a licensed clinical psychologist and continues her private practice in the state of California.In addition, Dr. Robinson is the recipient of a number of research awards and fellowships, including from the National Institutes of Drug Abuse, the National Institutes of Mental Health, the National Cancer Institute, the NCAA, and Stanford University. She is the author of dozens of peer-reviewed research publications, articles, books and book chapters on subjects ranging from digital mental health technology to eating disorders, and professional well-being. Her areas of expertise include evidence-based digital therapeutics, implementation science, and treatment-outcome behavioral health research.Medical Matters Weekly features the innovative personalities who drive positive change within health care and related professions. The show addresses all aspects of creating and maintaining a healthy lifestyle for all, including food and nutrition, housing, diversity and inclusion, groundbreaking medical care, exercise, mental health, the environment, research, and government. The show is produced with cooperation from Catamount Access Television (CAT-TV). Viewers can see Medical Matters Weekly on Facebook at facebook.com/svmedicalcenter and facebook.com/CATTVBennington. The show is also available to view or download a podcast on www.svhealthcare.org/medicalmatters.Underwriter: Mack Molding

It affects one in six people in England each week, according to UK charity Mind. That's the ratio of people who report experiencing a common mental health problem, such as depression. Whether temporarily down in the dumps, or chronically depressed, many rely on anti-depressants to lift their dejected mood. But, they have a cost – one ex-user told the BBC that they felt they were in a "chemical fog" and were desperate to stop. If medication is a last resort, what alternatives are there when you're feeling truly blue?据英国慈善机构 Mind 称，它每周影响英格兰六分之一的人。这是报告遇到常见心理健康问题（例如抑郁症）的人的比例。无论是暂时情绪低落，还是长期抑郁，许多人都依靠抗抑郁药来缓解他们沮丧的情绪。但是，他们是有代价的——一位前用户告诉 BBC，他们觉得自己处于“化学迷雾”中，迫切希望停下来。如果药物是最后的手段，当你感到真正的忧郁时，还有什么选择？What about cold-water swimming to combat melancholy? One participant, known as Sarah, took part in the 2016 BBC One series The Doctor Who Gave Up Drugs. She had been taking anti-depressants since the age of 17. Two years after the show, she is off all medication and still swimming – something a recent British Medical Journal report believes may be an effective treatment for depression. Apart from the exercise and companionship of swimmers, the cold water puts the body under stress. With repeated immersions, the body better adapts not just to this physical stress, but mental stress, including the psychological problems of life that lead to low spirits.用冷水游泳来对抗忧郁症怎么样？一位名叫 Sarah 的参与者参加了 2016 年 BBC One 系列节目《戒毒医生》。她从 17 岁开始服用抗抑郁药。演出结束两年后，她停止了所有药物治疗，仍在游泳——英国医学杂志最近的一份报告认为，这可能是治疗抑郁症的有效方法。除了游泳者的锻炼和陪伴外，冷水还会使身体承受压力。通过反复沉浸，身体不仅可以更好地适应这种身体压力，还可以适应精神压力，包括导致情绪低落的生活心理问题。Susan Calman relies on kindness to brighten her mood. The 43-year-old comedian and author encourages others to use altruism to improve the lives of those around them. "It can be as simple as holding open a door for someone, or giving someone a compliment, or buying someone a packet of crisps while they're feeling down," she tells the BBC. In fact, anything that uplifts. "If we all started to be a bit kinder then maybe we could start seeing the world as a better place. It's really about kindness and then from that, just finding that happiness," she says.苏珊卡尔曼依靠善意来点亮她的心情。这位 43 岁的喜剧演员和作家鼓励其他人利用利他主义来改善周围人的生活。“这可以很简单，比如为某人打开一扇门，或者称赞某人，或者在某人情绪低落时给他们买一包薯片，”她告诉 BBC。事实上，任何可以提升的东西。“如果我们都开始变得更友善一点，那么也许我们可以开始将世界视为一个更美好的地方。这真的是关于善良，然后从中找到幸福，”她说。Or you could talk about it. Woebot is a chatbot designed to support people dealing with problems by teaching coping strategies. "There's a reason why good therapeutic approaches are conversational. It just asks the right questions so you can figure it out," Alison Darcy, founder of Woebot, tells the BBC. One user, Nick Impson, explained that Woebot relieves the potential trust issues that can occur when talking to a stranger, even a qualified one.或者你可以谈谈它。Woebot 是一个聊天机器人，旨在通过教授应对策略来支持人们处理问题。“好的治疗方法是对话式的，这是有原因的。它只是提出正确的问题，这样你才能弄清楚，”Woebot 的创始人艾莉森·达西告诉 BBC。一位用户 Nick Impson 解释说，Woebot 可以缓解与陌生人（甚至是合格的人）交谈时可能发生的潜在信任问题。Feeling despondent happens to everyone. When it does, you might want to try one of these methods and see if it works for you. We hope you'll be feeling as right as rain again in no time. 每个人都会感到沮丧。当它发生时，您可能想尝试其中一种方法，看看它是否适合您。我们希望你很快就会感觉像下雨一样。词汇表depression 抑郁症down in the dumps 情绪低落depressed 感到抑郁的anti-depressant 抗抑郁药lift your mood 改善你的情绪dejected 失意的feel blue 闷闷不乐melancholy 忧伤、忧郁medication 药物companionship 同伴情谊stress 压力、紧张low spirits 气馁，精神不振brighten your mood 让你的心情好起来altruism 无私的精神feeling down 心情沮丧uplift 鼓舞support 给予（精神）帮助、支持coping strategy 应对策略therapeutic approach 治疗性手段despondent 消沉的as right as rain 一切良好，没事的

Chatbots sind nicht mehr wegzudenken aus unserem Serviceleben, sei es auf einer Webseite in Textform oder als Voicebot in einer Hotline. Das erkennt man auch an der Vielzahl von Studien zu Chatbots. Laut einer Studie des Karlsruhe Institute of Technology können 63,5 % aller Bots einem Geschlecht zugeordnet werden. 77 % davon sind weiblich. In einer Studie von Userlike waren nur 9 % der Teilnehmer der Meinung, dass ein Unternehmen keinen Chatbot nutzen sollte. Über 80 % der Teilnehmenden hatten in der Vergangenheit bereits Kontakt mit einem Chatbot. 60 % der Befragten gaben an, dass sie lieber in einer Warteschlange warten, um einen menschlichen Servicemitarbeiter zu erreichen. Wie menschlich sollte ein Chatbot sein? Woran liegt es, wenn die Akzeptanz fehlt?  Und warum ist es nicht egal, in welchem Land die Plattform betrieben wird? Über solche Fragen diskutieren Nina und Frank diesmal im KI Heute Podcast und stellen Beispiele wie Woebot oder Ask Benji vor.  Als Gäste erwarten sie Antonius Ostermann, CTO & Head of Conversational Services, und Markus Zeggel, Software-Engineer von Web Computing GmbH.Link zum Fundstück der Wochedialog bits - intuitive Conversational-AI-Plattform zum Erstellen von ChatbotsOPITZ CONSULTING ■■■ Digitale Service Manufaktur

What does the future of healthcare look like? In some cases, it's almost like science fiction has become a reality. Mental health and wellness is entering this realm with therapeutic chatbots like Woebot Health. Founder Alison Darcy talks about the importance of clinical validation and how studies have shown that Woebot can not only engage deeply with users but also develop a bond of trust with them, often allowing them to broach topics they may not feel comfortable discussing with a human therapist.Meanwhile, the ultrasound machine is getting a makeover. Nevada Sanchez, co-founder of Butterfuly network talks about shrinking it down into a device that plugs into an iPhone, making medical imaging more affordable and accessible. This device is a  little like the medical tridcorder from Star Trek in that it can scan the entire body and, with AI on board, it can make sense of the scan in minutes.Nevada Sanchez, co-founder & VP of core technology at Butterfly Network and Alison Darcy, founder of Woebot Health, were in conversation with Rob Pegoraro of USA Today on the HealthConf stage at Web Summit 2021.Use promo code 'TNS' for 10% off your #CollisionConf ticket now.

Welcome back to the HealthcareHub! We are so excited to ramp up with season two of the show. We first introduce our new cohost, Sarosh, and dive a little bit into Woebot, a mental health application powered by AI. We then speak to Chelsea Sumner PharmD, Healthcare AI Startups Lead at NVIDIA. Chelsea shares some of her insights bringing her knowledge from the pharmaceutical industry to the growing health tech space. We get to learn some amazing ways NVIDIA is working to empower researchers, hospitals, and start-ups to bring innovative solutions to patients. Finally, we close off the episode with a discussion on reducing medical disparities by understanding the needs of diverse communities. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/healthcarehubpodcast/message

We've reViVEd from ViVE and the HIMMSanity is over! Jess and Matthew are back to discuss more multimillion-dollar deals: Fresenius/Interwell/Cricket Health is merging to 2.4 billion valuation; Embold Health gets $26 million; Canopy gets $13 million; Vira Health gets $12 million; and Woebot gets $9 million.

We've reViVEd from ViVE and the HIMMSanity is over! Jess and Matthew are back to discuss more multimillion-dollar deals: Fresenius/Interwell/Cricket Health is merging to 2.4 billion valuation; Embold Health gets $26 million; Canopy gets $13 million; Vira Health gets $12 million; and Woebot gets $9 million.

David Bennett has become the first person in history to have a pig to human heart transplant. Scientists have edited several genes to make this possible. On the pod, the team say that if it proves successful longer term, it could be a game-changer for medicine. In cetacean news, have you ever wondered why dolphins have so much sex? Patricia Brennan from Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts has been studying dolphin clitorises, and shares her findings with the team. We now know much more about the omicron variant of coronavirus, and with more than half of people in Europe set to catch it in the next 6 to 8 weeks, the team explains why the variant is more infectious. There's a double dose of moon news this week - first there's the discovery that Saturn's moon Mimas may have an ocean beneath its surface, and then we have the first water ever detected by a robot on our Moon. And novelist and New Scientist columnist Annalee Newitz joins the discussion to share their experiences with a robot therapist called Woebot. On the pod are Rowan Hooper, Penny Sarchet, Clare Wilson and Leah Crane. To read about these stories and much more, subscribe at newscientist.com/podcasts. Thanks to our sponsor Brilliant - remember the first 200 people to sign up using this link http://brilliant.org/newscientist will get 20% off unlimited access to all the courses on Brilliant for a whole year. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this episode of the Psychedelic Therapy Frontiers podcast, Dr. Steve Thayer and Dr. Reid Robison explore the current state of modern technology as it interfaces with mental health and mental healthcare. They discuss the following topics:(1:30) Reid's experience with COVID-19(4:09) Genetic testing and Dr. Rhonda Patrick at Found My Fitness (5:48) GenoPalate and DNA Fit genetic reports(6:50) Digital phenotype and the quantified self(8:45) Sleep tracking devices like the Oura Ring(9:02) The Quantified Scientist YouTube channel (10:45) Eight Sleep mattress (12:50) Medium article: In VR, You Can Become Your Own Psychologist(16:15) The effects of embodiment and disembodiment in VR and with psychedelics (18:53) VR exposure therapy treatment for phobias and PTSD(24:36) The healing potential of the psychedelic experience(26:04) Reid's Instagram and Steve's Instagram(26:44) VR psychedelic experience like Tripp VR and Soundself(28:33) Big Tent Ketamine Google Group(29:23) Psychedelics Today blog post: No, VR Will Not Give You a Psychedelic Trip(32:16) Artificial intelligence (AI) therapists and chatbots like Youper and Woebot(38:35) Somryst app for insomnia(39:11) Biofeedback and Neurofeedback treatment for mental health conditions (42:15) The utility of self-help apps for tracking and improving mental health(44:58) AliveCor personal EKG(47:10) Advantages of telehealth (50:18) Virtual reality therapy for refractory auditory verbal hallucinations in schizophrenia: A pilot clinical trial(55:35) Immersive entertainment technology (59:44) Tristan Harris and the Your Undivided Attention podcastEmail us questions and feedback at psychfrontiers@novamind.ca Learn more about our podcast at https://www.psychedelictherapyfrontiers.com/Learn more about Novamind at https://www.novamind.ca/Disclaimer: The content of this podcast does not constitute medical advice or mental health treatment. Consult with a medical/mental health professional if you believe you are in need of mental health treatment.

Tom discusses wellbeing and technology in education.  Tom's Tech Tips: Focus Writer download link: https://focuswriter.en.softonic.com/  The Most Dangerous Writing App: https://www.squibler.io/dangerous-writing-prompt-app Calmly Writer: https://www.calmlywriter.com/online/   Other apps mentioned: Headspace: https://www.headspace.com/ Brain in Hand: https://braininhand.co.uk/ Woebot: https://woebothealth.com/ Forest: https://www.forestapp.cc/ Habitica: https://habitica.com/static/home    

Check out the Woebot App in the app store and learn how this tool can help you manage emotions and access tools for wellness!

It's June 22nd, 2021. On this final episode of the second season of BoxerBlu and Bram, the guys report from the Jazz Age Lawn Party on Governor's Island, NYC. They teach us about WoeBot, how Viacom uses tax shelters to pay little tax on movies like the Transformers and SpongeBob SquarePants, a homemade Disneyland Star Tours ride, new science related to lucid dreaming, and the life and death of Eric Carle. The newest episodes of Little News Ears can always be found on LittleNewsEars.com

Eddy nos habla un poco acerca de Woebot, el robot parlante que reduce los síntomas de depresión en dos semanas; nuestro colaborador Álvaro Rattinger, CEO de la revista Merca2.0, nos habla sobre la experiencia del consumidor durante la pandemia por Covid-19; Rony Jerusalmi, Director de Goldfarb Consultants México, nos cuestiona sobre qué le preocupa al mundo este 2021; Rocío Vázquez Landeta, fundadora de Eat Like A Local México, nos trae recomendación de restaurantes cómo Ricotta y Udon Izakya Tsumungui, todo esto y más con Eddy Warman de Noche.

Imposter Syndrome, or a mental pattern of doubting your skills, talents, and accomplishments coupled with the fear of being exposed as a fraud, can strike at any time. Pilates teachers are especially vulnerable as we are often paid by attendance, clients may book private sessions with us when they like us, and we frequently work solo with a lot of time to be alone with our thoughts. Tune in to hear some of my strategies for confronting and overcoming imposter syndrome when it pops up in my life.  I want to hear from you! Share your thoughts and follow the podcast on Instagram and Facebook @pilatesteachersmanual. Full show notes, episode transcription, and chapter markers can be found on the podcast website here: http://bit.ly/pilatesteachersmanual. Be sure to subscribe to the podcast for updates, and rate and review wherever you listen!  Episodes now available on YouTube: *https://bit.ly/YouTubePTM*Email pilatesteachersmanual@oliviabioni.com with your feedback.   Show Notes:Check out the Anti-Anxiety Notebook and take $5 off here. Learn more about the Woebot app here. There's links in there to find it in your app store too. Support the podcast:    Visit https://links.oliviabioni.com/affiliates to take advantage of some sweet savings!Episode Music:This episode uses NCS music in compliance with https://ncs.io/usage-policyTrack: Tobu - Good Times [NCS Release]Music provided by NoCopyrightSounds.Watch: https://youtu.be/YHSH9k9ooZYFree Download / Stream: http://ncs.io/goodtimesTrack: Tobu & Itro - Sunburst [NCS Release]Music provided by NoCopyrightSounds.Watch: https://youtu.be/4lXBHD5C8doSupport the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/oliviapodcasts)

Talk therapy has seen a boom during the pandemic. And with mental health chat bots like Woebot on the market and text therapy platforms like Talkspace going public, the possibility of humans outsourcing our behavioral health to algorithmic healers is only growing — along with the ethical questions attached to it. So Kara Swisher turned to Oren Frank, a co-founder and the chief executive of Talkspace, to ask what the increasing technologization of therapy means for treatment efficacy and for privacy.In this conversation, Kara asks Frank whether health care apps like Talkspace, which collect patient data, are offering meaningful insights or are privacy sieves waiting to be hacked. They also talk about how to measure treatment efficacy and who is accountable — the platform or the provider — when something goes wrong.You can find transcripts (posted midday) and more information for all episodes at nytimes.com/sway, and you can find Kara on Twitter @karaswisher.

Today on Health in 2 Point 00, Jess has finally reclaimed her Twitter account! On Episode 223, Jess asks Matthew about Carbon Health raising $350 million, this is a big competitor for One Medical with retail clinics plus telehealth. Next, for digital mental health care, Woebot gets $90 million for its mental health chatbot. Eight Sleep raises $76 million working on sleep fitness, with lots of celebrities in this one. Aidoc raises $66 million in a round led by General Catalyst, using AI to analyze medical images for chronic conditions. Finally, real world evidence company OM1 raises $85 million, bringing their total to $170 million.

Featured interview with Pager CEO Walter Jin.   Megan Kamerick reports on the mental-health app Woebot.   Kanyi Maqubela explores the fine line "between exploitative and empowering” in consumer finance.