The Internet has brought us many good things, we are more connected. But there were also problems with him. I would like us to see AI more as innate intelligence, not as artificial intelligence, Bunge said on the water. According to him, AI will not only make people’s lives easier, but will also help in the care of patients and their mental health.
Lack of milk is known worldwide. In particular, medical practitioners face the problem that they do not have enough time for patients due to fatigue, and this prevents them from being thoroughly examined.
Psychiatrists and psychotherapists have the same problem. The first is where chatbots could help the most. Technology has two new possibilities that we didn’t have a few years ago, Bunge said, adding that AI could, for example, supplement classical therapy led by professionals.
Applications that help patients with mental problems currently exist in two forms. The first are the so-called rule-based chatbots, where the user conducts a conversation based on prepared answers to questions.
The second variant is large language models (LLM), which respond to specific user questions and can learn from them. For example, ChatGPT combed more scientific threads than we can comb in a lifetime, Bunge described.
In both cases, according to him, there are pitfalls. Instead of a limited supply of pre-prepared answers, it offers patients only general information regardless of their specific needs. Problems can occur with the LLM chatbot. They can deceive people with information that is not there, Bunge explained, saying that, for example, it is necessary to limit the topics that the AI talks about with the patient.
Consultations about mental health are currently available, for example, with the Woebot and Wysa applications, which are also available in Czech. I’m Bunge and I develop chatbots. With the company Prometheist.ai, he developed chatbots for depression and anxiety, which also help parents of children with autism, attention deficit disorder, and hyperactivity.
The popularity of chatbots increased especially during the coronavirus pandemic. The people of St. AI therapists probably loved it. Bunge, however, does not think that there is a risk of the patient’s dependence on artificial intelligence. Instead, we will face how to engage people, not how to prevent them from becoming vertical, he said.
AI help with depression and bones
According to Bunge, the short-term effect of AI on depression and anxiety symptoms is considerable, but from a long-term perspective, its effectiveness decreases. However, according to him, this should be effective because people use the application only a few times.
Positive intelligence has a positive effect on patients with chronic pain and postpartum depression. The AI was also used in patients with eating disorders, but the chatbot had to be limited. Toti helped people with anorexia to put together meals that would reduce their caloric intake.
One of the benefits of AI in psychotherapy is the ability to use chatbots at any time. First, it could help reduce the growing demand for psychiatrists, patients can use the services even when they are on the waiting list.
I was sure that my patients would forget about me as soon as they left the office. This will help me deliver information at a time when the patient needs it, Bunge said. It helps me, for example, with patients who suffer from a combination of respiratory problems. According to him, not all the darkness can be covered during an hour-long session with the doctor.
But it also has its drawbacks. According to Bunge, for example, there may be a misunderstanding between the AI and the user when the chatbot provides incorrect information. In addition, the written conversation limits the request, and it is therefore necessary to use AI in combination with a professional p, he warns.
