#74 On AI

Hi friends,

Mental health AI has more questions than answers.

In my emails and DMs, those questions are piling up.

Questions about strategy, product, regulation, research and commercialisation. Today, I share my thoughts on many of those topics.

To do so, I’ve taken inspiration from Montaigne, the pioneer of the essay. In fact, Montaigne coined the term "essay" (from the French essai, meaning "attempt") to describe his writing.

His essays selected a specific topic and examined it through his own experience, with titles like “Of Friendship”, “Of The Education of Children” or even “Of Cannibals”. He also wrote extensively about his bowel movements, but I promise to spare you from such a topic.

Instead, in this THR Pro report, I examine 8 key issues for those building AI in mental health - eight mini-essays, sharing my own perspectives on these topics.

We’ll cover:

• On Going Slow: Why we’re misunderstanding the maturity of AI in mental health and what the real winners will do to develop long-term defensibility.

• On Creativity: Why we must dream a little bigger and explore the opportunities of a Therapy 3.0 world.

• On Democratising Wisdom: If Google organised information, can AI organise wisdom?

• On Standards: How a lack of shared standards is holding back progress and what we might do about it.

• On Transparency and Choice: Should users have a right to understand the values and incentives guiding the models they use?

• On Client Acquisition: How AI can support client acquisition and what businesses must get right to do so.

• On Storytelling: How the asymmetry of storytelling is shaping the market and the narrative opportunity that exists for stakeholders.

• On Opportunity Costs: Why AI is not a panacea and how leaders should think about the trade-offs of AI investments. 

Let’s get into it.

This article is for THR Pro members only