Everyone knows that Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a hot topic in the workplace right now. The rise of AI has caused a mixture of excitement and fear as it has become a standard part of our lives. Some say it’s a threat to civilization, while others insist it’s changing the way we work, live and interact with each other. What is not in dispute is that AI is advancing. Ariana Huffington, founder and CEO of Thrive Global, addresses these perceived threats. “AI is ultimately a tool and its impact will depend on how humanity uses it,” she explains. “The more we can use this moment to bring together a critical mass of people working in good faith and empathy, the more humanity will use AI to flourish.” It sounds like science fiction, but that’s exactly what new AI tools are doing – when it comes to mental well-being in the workplace.
Using AI to take charge of your mental health
Increasingly, employers are realizing that mental health is a priority, but, according to a recent study, many aren’t sure what steps they need to take to make it happen. And as more Gen Zs enter the workforce, companies need to get it right. Young people have no qualms about quitting a job if they believe their health and wellness needs are not being met. Now, it’s possible to enlist AI instead of humans to help employees take charge of their mental health. It sounds like an odd coupling, but technology has created new AI-powered mental health tools that enable employers to better support their employees.
Grace Chang, co-founder and CEO of mental healthcare startup Kintsugi, believes the ubiquity of AI in the workplace gives employees more control over their mental health. Plus, she says it provides an opportunity to better support employees and foster a more productive workforce, more efficient processes and a more profitable business.
Chang tells me via email that Kintsugi offers an AI-backed voice journaling and platform that gives employees real-time insight into their own mental health and recommendations for the support they need. “We’re entering an important era when it comes to mental wellness in the workplace,” says Chang. “In 2023, employers know them This must be done Make mental health a priority—95% of employers we surveyed told us that mental health care access was their top care need. They know the cost of unaddressed mental health challenges is too high to ignore, causing nearly 12 missed work days per employee per year and costing the U.S. economy $47.6 billion annually.”
Still, Chang says many business leaders are unsure how To best support the mental health of their teams. “Employer-focused mental health care solutions have exploded since the pandemic—from wellness apps to coaching therapists to digital therapeutics and more. We have reached a point where employers are spoiled for choice. So getting the right intervention at the right time for employees is a bigger challenge than ever.”
AI detects mental health status from your voice
Another obstacle, according to Chang, is that in the past employers had no way to measure how well any mental health intervention was working. Without objective data pointing to ROI, she stresses, it can be difficult to justify continuing a program or app. But this is at odds with the mental health field, which has traditionally relied on subjective, as opposed to objective, insight.
She explains that AI-powered solutions like Kintsugi Voice are designed with these challenges in mind. “Kintsugi Voice identifies signs and severity of mental health conditions in real-time, just by listening to someone’s voice,” she adds. “Our technology seamlessly integrates with care management call centers and telehealth platforms, where it ‘listens’ in the background with patient consent.” The technology generates real-time, quantitative insights into a person’s mental health that helps connect those in need with the appropriate level of behavioral care.
“Similarly, our tool offers an easy and affordable way to track mental health over time, so users can determine whether and to what extent an intervention is working for them,” she told me. “Currently, mental health check-up is done once a year (if at all). With our tool, this can happen during every healthcare interaction, bringing the opportunity for unprecedented insight into employee mental health. Employers can ask their payer partners to integrate technologies like Kintsugi into their care management call centers and telehealth platforms to leverage AI and voice biomarkers to make mental health care more personalized, more convenient, higher quality, more affordable and more accessible to everyone.
Does AI make employees feel safe with mental health?
The prevailing narrative is that employees fear being replaced by AI or that it will invade their privacy. But is employee fear of AI overblown? And will employees consent to AI tracking their mental health? Chang reveals that in a recent pilot, 80% of the patient population consented to being screened for mental health conditions by an AI-enabled voice analysis tool. Based on these findings, she believes that the majority of people will accept the use of AI in healthcare, as long as it enhances their overall healthcare experience and provides tangible value.
A separate study by WorkHuman found similar results. More than half of workers (58.4%) believe AI will not threaten their jobs. And 41% of employees say they expect learning to use AI tools to be part of their workplace training, and 34.4% believe learning these tools will be generally encouraged. Data shows that fear is greatest among younger employees, including Gen Z digital natives who have grown up with an intimate knowledge of the risks and rewards of new technologies. While only 20.4% of workers on average believe AI threatens their jobs, this number rises to nearly 30% for Gen Z employees.
The findings are valuable information for leaders implementing AI technology to build confidence among workers who worry that their jobs could be at risk. The WorkHuman study recommends that employers ensure workers have the tools and training they need to understand how technology works and how it can benefit them. It adds that knowledge and competence will not only help reduce AI fears among employees, but also help them make the most of the technology in their day-to-day work. The study concludes that when employees are recognized for their humanity — which can include opinions and concerns about AI in the workplace — and not just their productive output, they are likely to worry less about whether AI has the potential to replace them and value it more. will feel A whole person.
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