"Compassionate Technology": Its Definition and Implications for the Healthcare Sector
Empathy in the Tech World: Smart Speakers and Beyond
For some, the term "technology" may bring to mind images of metal robots and confusing algorithms. However, a talk on "empathetic technology" at this year's Wired Health conference aimed to change our perceptions of the digital world.
With around 39 million people in the United States owning smart speakers, technology that caters to our needs is becoming increasingly commonplace, creeping into our personal spaces. Yet, these devices are capable of so much more than just playing our favorite tunes or browsing the internet at our command.
Smart speakers have the potential to diagnose us or even tell us how we're feeling. This idea may sound somewhat dystopian, but at Wired Health - a gathering that highlights the forefront of health tech - neuroscientist and technologist Dr. Poppy Crum's talk, titled "Technology that knows what you're feeling," explored the possibilities and the role empathy plays in this new landscape.
Treading the razor's edge between eerie and optimistic, the title sends a powerful message: soon, consumer technology may recognize our mental and physical states before we do. But how can this be achieved? How can we harness technology's potential to help us understand and manage our mental and physical health, and what is the part empathy plays in all of this?
These are questions that Crum answered at Wired Health, which took place at the Francis Crick Institute in London, United Kingdom.
Empathetic Technology Defined
Crum, a scientist at Dolby Laboratories in San Francisco, CA, and an adjunct professor at Stanford University, defines empathetic technology as "technology that uses our internal state to decide how it will respond and make decisions" [1].
According to Crum, technology can interpret our internal states by detecting various physiological giveaways, a phenomenon she referred to as "the end of the poker face." For instance, during her talk, she demonstrated that when we're struggling to comprehend something, our pupils dilate.
Research on pupillometry from the last few decades suggests that we can track various cognitive processes, such as memory, attention, and mental load, by examining our pupils' behavior and measuring their diameter. Furthermore, experiments have shown that skin conductance, or galvanic skin response, can predict emotional responses, such as stress, excitement, engagement, frustration, or anger [3].
Additionally, humans release chemicals, such as carbon dioxide and isoprene, when feeling lonely or scared. Researchers like Crum have even used technology to track carbon dioxide exhaled by audience members during suspenseful scenes from a thriller movie [4].
The 'Empath Era': Technology at Your Service
We are entering "the era of the empath," a term coined by Crum—an era in which technology will know more about us than we ourselves do, but one in which we will also know more about each other than ever before.
As Crum explained, "Consumer technology will know more about our mental and physical wellness than many clinical visits" [2]. Combining machine learning with sensing technology and the vast amounts of data it can gather offers numerous opportunities for physicians. For instance, by integrating AI with drug regimens, doctors can create a closed feedback loop of data, allowing them to adjust treatments based on the patient's signals [2].
Moreover, in the weeks leading up to a knee surgery, an orthopedic surgeon could gather more data about a patient's gait and knee usage to inform their physical therapy rehabilitation post-surgery [2].
At Wired Health, Crum seemed to have convinced her audience that artificial technology, coupled with AI, could significantly improve our lives rather than hinder them—a view she echoes in much of her previous work.
"AI is often feared because people think it will replace who we are," Crum stated. "With empathetic technology, AI can make us better, not replace us. It can also provide assurance to us and our doctors that the interventions they prescribe are addressing the problems we have" [2].
Enrichment Data insights incorporated:
- AI-Driven Sentiment Analysis and Voice Analytics: These tools analyze voice recordings or written feedback to detect emotions, behaviors, and stress levels. This helps healthcare providers understand patients' emotional states and optimize patient interactions [1].
- Human-Like AI in Communication: Hospitals are beginning to use AI-powered systems that mimic human voices to interact with patients, boosting patient satisfaction and perceptions of care [2].
- Predictive Patient Monitoring: AI tools analyze real-time patient data to predict potential health issues, allowing for early interventions, enhancing personalized care [5].
- Virtual Health Assistants: AI chatbots and virtual assistants can engage with patients, offering support and guidance, helping manage stress and anxiety by providing consistent and empathetic interactions [5].
- Machine Learning and Predictive Models: These technologies analyze vast amounts of patient data, including physiological signals (e.g., heart rate, blood pressure) and behavioral patterns, to predict mental and physical health risks [5].
- Wearable Devices and Remote Monitoring: Technologies like Current Health and Biofourmis use wearables and AI-driven platforms to monitor patients remotely, identifying early warning signs of health deterioration [5].
- Ambient Listening and Voice Analysis: AI tools can analyze tone and speech patterns to assess emotional states, providing healthcare providers with insights into patients' mental well-being and enabling more personalized and empathetic care [1].
- In the realm of healthtech, empathetic technology, defined as technology that uses our internal states to make decisions, is gaining ground, blurring the lines between personal and professional spaces.
- As we move towards the 'Empath Era', consumer technology is poised to delve deeper into our health-and-wellness, mental-health, and fitness-and-exercise data, thanks to tools like AI-driven sentiment analysis, voice analytics, and ambient listening.
- The interplay between machine learning, sensing technology, and data-and-cloud-computing is opening up avenues for advancements in healthsystems, such as predictive patient monitoring and personalized therapies-and-treatments.
- With the help of technology like virtual health assistants and human-like AI in communication, healthcare providers can offer more empathetic interactions, boosting patient satisfaction and promoting wellness.
- The wave of technology is expected to transform public health by equipping public healthcare providers with the ability to diagnose, predict, and treat health issues earlier, thanks to tools like artificial-intelligence and fitness-and-exercise trackers.
- The data collected by these technologies can be used to develop more effective fitness-and-exercise plans and mental-health therapies, helping individuals better manage their health and wellness.
- As we navigate this new landscape, it is crucial to remember that empathy is at the heart of these advancements – technology should not just monitor health, but also help promote a culture of understanding and support for individuals' health-and-wellness journeys.
