Jo Aggarwal at World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2023 | Wysa

Summary

The transcript highlights a session at the World Economic Forum where Joe Agarwal, CEO of Wisa, discusses the global mental health crisis and the innovative use of AI in addressing it. Wisa's platform offers support through AI-driven conversations, helping individuals manage their mental health. The app has reached 5 million users, with many attributing their well-being to it. Joe emphasizes the need for AI as an initial step in care, advocating for its integration into mental health support systems worldwide.

Takeaways

• 🌐 The Ideas Hub at the World Economic Forum is a space for digital members to engage in discussions on solutions for global issues, including the use of AI for mental health.
• 🤖 The Forum's strategic intelligence platform leverages human and AI intelligence to provide contextual information on various topics, aiding in understanding and action on global issues.
• 🚀 Uplink is an open innovation platform by the World Economic Forum that crowdsources solutions to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with over 57,000 users and 15,000 entrepreneurs.
• 🧠 Joe Agarwal, co-founder and CEO of Wisa, discusses the role of AI in addressing the global mental health crisis, emphasizing the importance of early intervention and support.
• 📈 The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that one in eight people suffer from a mental health disorder, with the pandemic exacerbating both the spectrum of illness and awareness of mental health issues.
• 📊 Wisa's Global Employee Mental Health Report, based on 150,000 anonymous conversations, reveals that 42% of employees felt their mental health declined during the pandemic.
• 💹 There is a significant financial cost to businesses due to unaddressed mental health needs, with estimates suggesting a loss of $30 million annually for a company with 50,000 employees.
• 🌍 Mental health costs are estimated to be 4% of GDP in OECD countries, yet most countries spend less than 2% of their health budget on mental health.
• 📱 Wisa is an AI-driven mental health app that provides support through text-based conversations, aiming to be equitably accessible to all users regardless of location or socioeconomic status.
• 🔢 Wisa has conducted randomized control trials demonstrating its effectiveness, showing better or equal performance compared to human therapist support in managing pain interference, physical function, depression, and anxiety.
• 🌟 Wisa has received recognition for its privacy practices, being named the best in privacy among mental health apps by the Mozilla Foundation.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the Ideas Hub session hosted by John Dutton at the World Economic Forum?

The main focus is on 'Innovation for SDGs: AI for Mental Health,' exploring how AI can be leveraged to address mental health issues as part of the Sustainable Development Goals.

What is Uplink, as mentioned by John Dutton in the session?

Uplink is the open innovation platform of the World Economic Forum, aimed at crowdsourcing solutions to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), engaging a community of over 57,000 users and 15,000 entrepreneurs.

Who is Joe Agarwal, and what is Wisa?

Joe Agarwal is the co-founder and CEO of Wisa, a platform focused on using AI to provide mental health support and solutions. Wisa aims to address the global mental health crisis by offering accessible and effective mental health care.

What does the Global Employee Mental Health Report by Wisa reveal?

The report, based on over 150,000 anonymous conversations from 60 countries, highlights the mental health challenges employees face, showing a decline in mental health during the pandemic and the financial and productivity costs associated with unaddressed mental health needs.

How does Wisa propose to use AI for mental health?

Wisa uses AI to provide immediate, private, and accessible mental health support, helping users to manage their mental health through evidence-based techniques and conversations, aiming to make mental health care equitable and accessible globally.

What are some key outcomes of using Wisa for mental health support?

Wisa has shown to be effective in reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression, with significant improvements noted in users after less than a month of use. It's also highlighted for its privacy practices, being recognized for responsible AI use.

How has the pandemic affected global mental health, according to Joe Agarwal?

The pandemic has led to an increase in both the spectrum of mental illness and awareness about mental health issues, resulting in more people seeking help and further stretching the already burdened healthcare systems.

What challenges does the current mental health care system face, as mentioned in the session?

The current system is challenged by insufficient access to care, long waitlists, a shortage of mental health professionals, and inadequate support for mental health, leading to significant financial and productivity losses.

What is the strategic intelligence platform mentioned by John Dutton?

It is a platform that leverages both human and AI intelligence to provide insights on over 280 topics, aimed at enhancing understanding of global issues and facilitating action among members of the World Economic Forum and its digital audience.

What does Joe Agarwal suggest as a solution to the global mental health crisis?

Agarwal suggests leveraging AI as a first step of care to address the global mental health crisis, offering an accessible, equitable, and effective solution to support mental health needs worldwide.