Need some advice from a robot psychologist?

to Deloitte, among organisations that are early adopters of AI, 83 per cent have already reported achieving moderate or substantial economic benefits, which in turn may positively reinforce increased investment spending in AI automation projects. By 2025 AI automation will replace 16 per cent of US jobs; both white-collar and bluecollar jobs will be eliminated.

According to the American Psychological Association, job loss “can be devastating, putting unemployed workers at risk for physical illness, marital strain, anxiety, depression and even suicide. Each year, the World Health Organisation estimates that depression affects over 300 million people, with nearly 800,000 suicides.

The McKinsey Global Institute (MGI) predicts that companies’ AI technology adoption curve over time will be S-shaped. This implies that initially in the early period, the adoption rate of AI will be slower, but then experience a rapid, exponential increase for a period of time before it levels off with market saturation. If the prediction by MGI becomes a reality, it also seems likely that the future demand for mental health professionals may follow a similar growth pattern between now and 2030.

According to April 2018 figures from the United States Department of Labour, employment of psychologists is “projected to grow 14 per cent from 2016 to 2026, faster than the average for all occupations,” and job opportunities are “best for those who have a doctoral degree in an applied specialty.” Can the tasks performed by licensed mental health professionals be automated or replaced in part or whole, by an AI-enabled robot in the future?

As unusual a concept as it may seem, automated psychological services powered by AI technology may very well emerge within the next five-to-ten years. More likely, it will initially take shape in the form of an innovative service delivered on the mobile smartphone as tool, rather than a mechanised mannequin or a version of Pepper, the ubiquitous humanoid robot described by its maker, SoftBank Robotics, as “a genuine day-to-day companion.” The potential advantages of a smartphone-based psychology wellness app include lower barriers to adoption, cost, access, availability, confidentiality, privacy, adherence, and a lack of perceived stigma.

Maintaining good mental health has become destigmatised in recent years. Integrating technology with human wellness is a growing trend.

There’s a caveat — the risks include compromised confidentiality, and privacy. As evidenced by the wave of privacy issues in recent years, with social media applications being compromised and user data leaked, current technology is imperfect when it comes to maintaining confidentiality and privacy. On one hand, people may feel comfortable getting mental health support from non-judgmental app. On the other hand, the thought of one’s privacy being compromised may be enough to be thwart potential early-adopters from trying it out in the first place.

And then there are the issues of bias and quality of service. AI is inherently as biased as the humans who created it. The areas of cognitive bias include data set size, data structure/collection/sources, the degree of objectivity in the data itself, the weight assigned to the data points, the absence or inclusion of indicators, and the inherent bias of the people managing the software. Ultimately, the quality of the service would depend on the quality of the data, algorithm, and human management.

The larger risks are the unintended consequences, such as the increased feelings of loneliness and isolation that living in a virtual world may bring. Will the practice of confiding one’s inner-most feelings, perceptions, and thoughts, elements of which make us uniquely human, in a machine rather than fellow human being — trigger an existential crisis? No matter how sophisticated technology becomes, AI sentience is a non-starter. In the end, a machine cannot replace a human in expressing caring, empathy, compassion, and the feeling that one is “being heard.” Will one day a pioneering entrepreneur create an innovative robot psychologist app? It’s not a question of ‘if,’ but ‘when.’—Psychology

Maintaining good mental health has become destigmatised in recent years. Integrating technology with human wellness is a growing trend

Even the darkest night will end and the sun will rise.”

VIEWS EXPRESSED IN THESE COLUMNS DO NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THOSE OF