What You Should Know:
– Sheba Medical Center, a leading Israeli hospital, is collaborating with ARC Innovation Center and KPMG to develop a generative AI platform named “Liv” aimed at transforming mental healthcare accessibility.
Mental Health Crisis
The project is driven by the urgent need to address the global mental health crisis, significantly worsened by COVID-19 and other recent events. The lack of qualified mental health professionals creates a bottleneck in the system, leaving many in need without timely care.
The Solution: GenAI-powered Platform “Liv”
“Liv” is an interactive conversational platform utilizing natural language processing to engage users in a personalized experience. It captures intake sessions through voice and written conversation, adhering to established protocols and guidelines, including the DSM-5 (diagnostic manual for mental disorders).
Key features and benefits of Liv include:
- Reduced Intake Time: The platform can significantly shorten the time it takes to complete patient intake for conditions like PTSD, depression, and anxiety.
- Increased Efficiency: Studies show “Liv” could enable mental health professionals to assist up to five times more users compared to current methods.
- Improved Accessibility: This translates to faster access to much-needed mental health services for a larger population.
- Enhanced User Experience: User feedback highlights the platform’s ability to effectively engage and create a positive user experience.
“Liv” represents a potential paradigm shift in mental healthcare. Professor Eyal Zimlichman, Chief Medical Officer at Sheba, emphasizes the role of AI in bridging the gap in mental health resources. The project leverages Microsoft Cloud and Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service to explore the transformative potential of Generative AI.
Ethical Considerations and Next Steps:
The research team, led by Prof. Mark Weiser and Dr. Asaf Caspi, prioritizes responsible AI development. The platform is designed to assist professionals, not replace them, and user summaries are always reviewed by a human practitioner. Sheba anticipates a fully operational platform within a few months after thorough testing and ethical considerations are addressed.
“The high global demand for mental health services necessitates solutions that can bridge the gap created by the lack of sufficient, relevant workforce resources,” said Prof. Eyal Zimlichman, Deputy Director-General, Chief Medical Officer, and Chief Innovation Officer at Sheba Medical Center. “We are exploring how Artificial intelligence, and specifically Generative AI, can assist clinicians in treating more users, promoting effective therapy and improving accessibility to high quality care. Through our collaboration with KPMG and leveraging Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service, we are investigating the potential that Gen AI can provide to what we believe will be a transformative change in healthcare. We anticipate that our research will result in a fully operational platform within a few months, once we have thoroughly examined all aspects of its use and established the necessary guard rails.”
Availability
Sheba anticipates a fully operational platform within a few months after thorough testing and safety protocols are established.