However, the app's release has raised concerns about the use of AI in mental health services and research. The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned against promoting new AI models without thorough evaluation, despite the potential benefits of AI in organizing mental health services and diagnosing and monitoring mental health disorders. The WHO/Europe's "Regional Digital Health Action Plan for the WHO European Region 2023-2030" acknowledges the promise of AI in healthcare but emphasizes the need for innovation in predictive analytics combining big data and AI for improved health outcomes.
Key takeaways:
- Kai Koerber, a survivor of the 2018 Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School massacre, has developed a smartphone app called Joy that uses AI to provide mindfulness exercises based on users' emotional states.
- The app uses a cutting-edge algorithm that can understand a person's emotional state from the sound of their voice, and offers brief, simple exercises that can be easily integrated into daily life.
- Joy operates on a subscription basis, with monthly fees of $8, and its accuracy and efficacy are expected to improve as more people use it.
- Despite the potential benefits of AI in mental health services, experts recommend further studies and warn against promoting new AI models without comprehensive evaluation, highlighting the need for innovation in predictive analytics combining big data and AI for improved health outcomes.