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It seems I’m only one of a few people who finds this area to be promising. Given that mental health care is expensive, that many people suffering are isolated w
by xigency 3y ago
It seems I’m only one of a few people who finds this area to be promising. Given that mental health care is expensive, that many people suffering are isolated with no one to talk to, and that talking to someone about your issues, whether or not they are a medical professional, is beneficial, I don’t see why this shouldn’t be pushed further. In terms of risk, as others have said, the Internet already exists filled with bad advice and TV has tons of poor medical content. Our apps and media have been hyper optimized by commercial interests in ways that are bad for mental health. Building these resources is the right thing to do, in my opinion.
- bpiche 3y agoTell that to the shareholders when your mental health bot tells a customer how to end their life. Maybe they intentionally jailbroke it because they wanted it to go off script, or it just hallucinated. Not going to matter very much when the stock craters.
- xigency 3y agoThis is a GitHub repo, not a NASDAQ corp. Shareholders’ bottom line will never be my concern in the mental health space. If someone wants to build a startup in this space, they should organize it as a public benefit corporation, non-profit, or a co-op. In terms of outcomes, many people are put on hold calling the suicide hotline. In terms of pranks, the suggested one is criminal and would be prosecuted as such. In terms of accidents, yeah, if this were a product, it needs more fineprint and guardrails.
- bpiche 3y agoWell, Headspace is doing it, and I'm pretty sure they're public. I think Ginger gave it a shot a year or two ago. Could go on. edit: Crunchbase says Headspace acquired Ginger recenty. Didn't realize Ginger was a YC company! Shame. Now I know why they wanted me to sign an NDA before talking to a recruiter.
- deleted 3y ago[deleted]