Communications of the ACM
Wellness Chatbots Are New Workplace Benefit
Many businesses and other organizations have turned to chatbots and wellness apps because of a nationwide shortage of therapists.
Chatbots that hold therapist-like conversations and wellness apps that deliver depression and other diagnoses or identify people at risk of self-harm are become a part of many employers' healthcare benefits.
"The demand for counselors is huge, but the supply of mental-health providers is shrinking," says J. Marshall Dye, chief executive officer of PayrollPlans, which began providing access to a chatbot called Woebot in November. PayrollPlans expects about 9,400 employers will use Woebot in 2024.
Amazon about a year ago gave employees free access to Twill, an app that uses artificial intelligence to track the moods of users and create a personalized mental-health plan. The app also offers live chats with a human "coach."
Supporters say the mental-health apps alleviate symptoms such as anxiety, loneliness, and depression, and are available at any time. Yet some researchers say there isn't sufficient evidence the programs work, and that their varied security and safety practices create a risk.
From The Wall Street Journal
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