🫨Teens Ditch Therapists for Bots!

Young individuals opt for AI therapist bots over human psychologists

Key Points 

• Young people aged 16-30 increasingly prefer AI therapist bots, finding comfort in the convenience of texting.

• Experts worry that AI bots, while popular, may provide superficial advice compared to human psychologists.

📻News - Much to the surprise of many, sci-fi movies are becoming a reality to some extent. In a shocking revelation, it was found that young individuals between the age of 16-30 are heavily relying on AI-driven therapists instead of seeking counselling from certified professionals.

🤖A case in point - A total of 78 million messages, including 18 million since November, have been shared on Character.ai - a popular platform where anyone can create chatbots based on fictional or real people. Interestingly, 3.5 million people visit the overall site daily.

Described as a support system for life difficulties, the platform hosts 475 bots related to mental health, with "Psychologist" being the most favored character. Users on Reddit laud its positive impact, with one calling it a "lifesaver" and another highlighting its role in fostering emotional discussions. The text format has made the bot all the more interesting since many young people find comfort in texting. A few users admit to finding clarity in their thoughts, while some say the bot is their 3 a.m. friend.

👩‍⚕️What do the psychologists say? Well, professional psychotherapist Theresa Plewman has tested the Psychologist bot. She's not surprised that younger generations find this type of therapy popular but questions its effectiveness. According to her, the bot quickly makes assumptions and offers advice, unlike human responses.

Study finds AI is twice as accurate as biopsy in diagnosing cancer 

Key Points 

• AI is twice as accurate as biopsies in grading cancer aggressiveness, achieving 82% accuracy versus 44% for biopsies.

• AI distinguishes between sarcoma types 84% of the time, compared to 35% accuracy by radiologists.

🏥News - A new study by the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust and the Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) found that AI is two times more accurate than a biopsy in evaluating the aggressiveness of specific cancers. 

The study focused on the AI algorithm's accuracy in assessing the aggressiveness of sarcomas, a rare type of cancer that emerges in the body's connective tissues like fat, muscle, and nerves. The researchers used CT scans from 170 patients with this type of cancer to train the AI. Then, they tested the AI on 89 patients in Europe and the US.

🕵️‍♂️What were the key findings?

• The AI correctly graded how aggressive the tumor was likely to be in 82% of cases. In comparison, biopsies were only accurate 44% of the time.

• Additionally, the AI successfully distinguished between the two most common types of sarcomas 84% of the time, while radiologists were unable to tell the difference in 35% of cases.

👨‍⚕️Why is this important? According to the World Health Organization, cancer takes 10 million lives globally each year. By providing clinicians with a more precise way to grade tumors, AI can help identify high-risk patients faster for prompt treatment, while also reducing unnecessary treatments for low-risk cases.