WHAT IS A WOEBOT?
Woebot is a bot, that invites people to talk with him and encourages them to have an honest conversation about their feelings, thoughts. On the webpage of Woebot is it said that:
“Woebot uses AI and Natural Language Processing (NLP) techniques to learn from millions of conversations annually and to provide therapeutic encounters that are psychologically related, responsive to a person’s dynamic state of health, and targeted using tools from cognitive, behavioral, and interpersonal disciplines.”
The Woebot has a different versions for different people, like for example for being in control of a maternal mental health, not only during the pregnancy, but also in time of a postpartum etc. I think this is a really helpful for women especially during this time, because as shown by the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS), CDC research shows that nationally, about 1 in 8 women experience symptoms of postpartum depression.
THE ADVANTAGES OF HAVING AN ONLINE CONVERSATION
Personally, I think that many people have the problem with being honest when it comes to talking about their feelings. Furthermore, the problems with mental health are often neglected, because of the social view on them. Many people are ashamed to talk about mental health, due to being scared of what others may think of that. When it comes to human-like therapeutic encounters and talking with a bot, many problems vanish. The fear of being judged is not an issue anymore. I also think it’s worth to mention that Woebot is free, so it’s available for everyone with a smartphone.
IS THE BOT REPLACING THERAPISTS?
No, Woebot isn’t created to replace the professional help. It’s only a useful tool for people who are seeking help in something different than traditional methods.
IS WOEBOT AVAILABLE IN EVERY LANGUAGE?
Unfortunately, as for now, the bot is talking only in English and partly in Italian.
The mental health awareness is really important and I’m really happy that initiatives like Woebot are becoming a thing.
Geez, very cool post!
Just a shame Woe speaks only two languages, but I still hope it’ll grow more globally it the future, and then I’ll surely start using it, cheers!
Very interesting idea, as a person who is ashamed to talk about their problems with anyone, it would be a great option for me, but it is a pity that the Woebot does not speak my native language, I would feel more comfortable and freely. Also, I love his design, he is so cute!
It’s an interesting idea. I think that it may be a good way for some people, but not with a serious mental issues.In my opinion, in mental treatments for many people it’s important to have a real connection with a person they are talking. Personally, I would feel uncomfortable and for sure not safe (!) talking to the robot.
Its interesting but I dont see it as a very helpful tool. For bots to wokr they have to be programmed and usually that done by programming it using past situations, so its not every problem where it will help. At the same time, there is so much emotional intelligence needed and emotional connection needed during a therapy session its not just about solving problems. You need to feel connected to the person you’re offloading to and I dont see robots doing much of that.
None the less it is still a great idea, maybe just to help people identify problems
I think Woebot and similar products will be essential in our future. As someone with experience with mental health institutions, booking an appointment with a good psychologist is extremely difficult because of how many patients they have. Usually, you have to book it 2-3 months before an appointment; in many cases, that’s far too long to predict what might happen. Nowadays, a new pandemic is starting – the depression pandemic and the mental health system isn’t ready for the number of people who will need help. Those who think talking to a robot will not feel like conversing with an actual human should read about the AshleyMadison online dating site marketed to married people. It was an example of a real-life Turing test, and the machines won.