This week: Chatbot therapy

Wise Tech - Technology news for non-tech humans!

1. First Therapy Chatbot Trial Shows Positive Results

What’s the tech
Researchers at Dartmouth have created an AI chatbot named Therabot, which uses generative AI (a type of technology that creates new content or responses by learning from examples) to provide mental health support through a smartphone app.

How it’s used
People using Therabot can type messages about how they’re feeling, and the chatbot responds with caring, open-ended questions—similar to what a real therapist might ask. In a recent trial, users with depression, anxiety, and eating disorders chatted with Therabot and saw big improvements in their symptoms.

Why it’s news now
This is the first clinical trial of a generative AI therapy chatbot, and the results were surprisingly positive. People treated it like a real helper, and the symptom improvements were close to what people get in traditional therapy. Since many people can’t easily see a therapist, Therabot could help fill that gap.

Read more on Dartmouth’s website

2. Bill Gates Predicts AI Will Replace Doctors and Teachers in Next 10 Years

What’s the tech
Bill Gates recently shared his vision of artificial intelligence (AI) taking over many professional roles. He believes AI will soon be smart enough to provide top-level medical advice and personalized teaching without needing a human expert in the room.

How it’s used
Gates imagines a world where anyone can access high-quality healthcare and tutoring simply by using a smart device. AI would use massive amounts of data to give advice like a doctor or explain things like a teacher, all in real-time.

Why it’s news now
Gates made these predictions during a TV interview while promoting his new memoir. He sees this shift happening within the next 10 years and believes it will solve big global problems, like the lack of doctors and educators in many areas.

Read more on People

3. Rising AI Energy Use Leads to Call to Redesign Computing

What’s the tech
AI systems now use so much electricity that experts are warning we need to rethink how computers are built. This includes everything from the materials in computer chips to how data is processed and stored.

How it’s used
A group of researchers and tech leaders are suggesting new kinds of chips made with advanced materials like graphene (a super-thin, strong form of carbon) and new computing styles like quantum computing (a type of computing that uses the laws of physics to solve problems much faster). These would use less energy and work more efficiently than today’s technology.

Why it’s news now
As AI use grows quickly, so does its energy demand—doubling every few months. That’s a problem for the environment. Experts say we need new designs and stronger investment from governments to make computing cleaner and more sustainable.

Read more on TNW

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