How AI Will Shape The Future of Wellness

Each day the press is filled with stories about the harm that technology is having on our health, both physical and mental. From screen time that impacts our sleep and eyesight, weight gain from a more sedentary lifestyle, to the ways in which social media affects our mental health and mood. It is reassuring to know that there are companies out there who are investigating how technology can be used to boost wellbeing rather than negatively impact it.

Dani Grant of Union Square Ventures has recently written a blog post exploring the topic of “Therapeutic Computing” and how AI can help in “broadening access to wellbeing”. She discusses companies, including Mei, that are using passive observational guidance to help consumers. You can read Dani’s blog post here.

At Mei we are focused on exploring how we can support the mental health and wellbeing of our users. Our messaging app Mei is designed to improve a user’s relationships, with the help of an in-app real-time relationship assistant. We hope that by highlighting the differences between the personalities of you and your contacts, we can help you communicate better and your relationships will benefit. Mei has the ability to look at changes in your communication for you and your contacts over time. Most people would struggle to remember if messages received from a contact gradually became shorter over a 6-month period, or if their communication slowly became more negative. This is where Mei comes in. As Malek Murison of the Internet of Business points out “predictive analysis is a growing trend in AI” and it is one that Mei is focused on being at the forefront of. With our app and AI platform, we work towards identifying issues before/while they emerge and act as an intervention system. 

We look forward to seeing how the wellness space develops with the input of AI and machine learning, to use technology as a force for good to enrich the lives of consumers. At Mei we will continue to explore how we can help our users to connect better and improve their relationships.