A few weeks ago I posted on LinkedIn that I wanted to get someone on the pod to talk AI in mental health. At the time I made the post I definitely had my AI sceptic hat on, whenever I hear about AI in mental health its normally in the context of chat bots or similar replacing real life therapist / patient interactions, and I think this is a trend that’s really concerning, hence why I wanted to explore it on the pod in more detail.But I’m really pleased that things turned out a little differently with this episode. After I posted about it on LinkedIn someone tagged Matteo Grassi and suggested I chat to him about an AI mental health product he’s developing called Hana. I’m glad that I got connected with Matteo as his product, Hana is a great example of where AI can complement and augment the work of a therapist, improving engagement between sessions and generating valuable data that therapists can use to improve treatment and spot warning signs for an impending mental health crisis. I think my scepticism was well and truly countered by talking to Matteo; do I think that AI chat bots are a bad idea? absolutely, but my eyes are definitely open to AI tools like Hana that can enhance the valuable person to person interaction that takes place in therapy sessions. Matteo on LinkedIn. Hana Website.