How will we see the value of advancements in technology translating into health services?

The transformative power of generative AI and what it means for mental health services. How will we see the value of advancements in technology translating into health services?

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AI-powered chatbots and their potential in the realm of mental health have witnessed remarkable advancements in the past six months, fuelled by the widespread interest and enthusiasm surrounding chatbot applications like ChatGPT. This surge in interest has ushered in a transformative era, where chatbots have transcended their previous role as mere annoyances on business websites and have evolved into valuable tools that the general public actively seeks out and engages with.

This paradigm shift in perception towards chatbots has had profound implications, not only in commercial contexts but also in the field of mental health. What was once regarded as an inconvenience has now garnered all-round acceptance, with chatbots being recognised as potent psychological instruments. The growing understanding and appreciation of the benefits they offer have expanded their utility, leading to increased adoption across various domains.

Responding to this changing landscape, several innovative AI platforms tailored for mental health have emerged, leveraging the OpenAI API and building upon the foundation laid by ChatGPT. These platforms harness the power of natural language understanding and generate personalised interactions, tailored interventions, and invaluable support for individuals seeking mental health assistance.

The integration of AI-powered chatbots in the mental health arena has generated substantial interest, given their capacity to provide accessible, scalable, and cost-effective support and guidance. With enhanced capabilities and growing public acceptance, chatbots are poised to revolutionise the delivery of early mental health interventions, acting as the first point of contact for self-assessments, self-monitoring, and triaging.

By embracing the transformative potential of chatbots in mental health, we can address the persistent challenges posed by clinician shortages and resource imbalances. These AI-driven solutions not only alleviate the burden on healthcare professionals but also empower individuals to take an active role in managing their mental well-being. As the field continues to evolve and innovate, the future holds immense promise for AI-powered chatbots in revolutionising mental healthcare accessibility and delivery.

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What are the advantages specifically using tech and AI enabled products?

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We can see that if done well, these advancements will bring access to people that are otherwise struggling to reach out for supports, whether due to stigma, financial constraints, or geo-location barriers.

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More importantly though, there are several serious implications of not getting things right within the health industry. Government, Leaders within Industries and People with Lived Experience must come together to build the Ethics models and guardrails around these technologies to ensure that the liabilities are clear and that businesses rolling out services on the back of LLMs are building within controlled frameworks.

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The empirical evidence stemming from the extensive utilisation of social media and gaming highlights the inherent ease with which individuals can become addicted to technologies. LLMs have another advantage over the rule based chatbots in that they sound very real. Their remarkable authenticity and unparalleled natural language understanding surpass that of other chatbot models, making them highly convincing and effective in their communication.

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We need to be aware that their ability to speak naturally could possibly create emotional dependencies and increase an already vulnerable individual to lose out on human connections in the process.

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Businesses and industries will need to consider the privacy of chat content and conversations. In traditional face-to-face therapy sessions, the probability of every word and sentence being documented, recorded, and stored is minimal, thereby reducing the risk of data leakage.

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Finally, there are global issues to consider such as computing power and climate change. The energy and computing resources required to continue training and deploying LLMs will require large usage of computing power. It is equally important for businesses and Government to partner for prioritising carbon neutral or carbon negative strategies.

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If we can slow down the speed of tech advancements and speed up the creation of regulatory frameworks, we may end up in a happy middle that can ensure that the people that will be engaging with these technologies are gaining not losing out in the process of the transformative changes ahead.