During the pandemic, ‘Deepak Chopra’ intervened in over 5,000 suicide attempts. But it wasn’t him.

Every 40 seconds, someone takes their life.

If that wasn't heartbreaking enough, there are indications that for every adult that dies by suicide, there may have been more than 20 others attempting suicide.

The numbers are confronting. But what if there was a way to leverage technology to help?

During the pandemic, internationally acclaimed guru Deepak Chopra intervened in more than 5000 suicide attempts. But it wasn't actually him…

Before you get concerned, no, it wasn't a scam. It was artificial intelligence (AI).

It's controversial, I know. I mean, AI is easily one of the most contentious developments in our lifetimes, but Chopra believes if we use it correctly, it can help us lead more purposeful, spiritual and connected lives.

His foundation worked to develop a mental wellness chatbot named Piwi that he says helped teenagers who are struggling with their mental health.

The New York Times bestselling author told us all about it on Mamamia's podcast, But Are You Happy?

Listen to Deepak Chopra discuss how AI can make us better human beings on But Are You Happy? Post continues below.

How AI chatbots like Piwi support mental health.

Chopra said teens were happy to talk to the emotional chatbot because they felt they weren't being judged.

"We intervened in 5000 suicide ideations, and then also there were 20 million text messages that the AI was having with teenagers who didn't feel judged. The AI would ask them, 'What did you have for dinner last time?', 'Did your boyfriend return your call?'"

In Australia, suicide is the leading cause of death in children and adolescents, according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.

Research suggests the anonymity of chatbots offers a potentially acceptable and more appealing form of mental health intervention for young people worried about stigma.

Then there are also the benefits of reduced costs and accessibility, which are especially relevant considering how tough it can be to access mental health service providers in Australia.

But can AI make up for the real deal? Researchers aren't convinced.

Chatbots have mainly been used for customer support or in information retrieval, where the consequences of inappropriate responses or misinterpretations of user inputs are relatively minimal.

"In a mental health context, such errors may result in significant harm. Mental health chatbots have been found to provide restricted or inappropriate responses to emergencies such as immediate harm and suicide ideation, posing serious risks to users," University of South Australia researchers Benjamin Hoffman, Michelle Oppert and Mikaela Owen wrote in their recent study.

"Another barrier to the acceptability of chatbots is the potential danger that clients will become overly reliant on interactions with chatbots, meaning they are less inclined to seek support through other means."

The researchers said, given the risks associated, it's better the technology be viewed as "a complementary intervention or a therapeutic tool, rather than a replacement for human psychotherapists".

And Chopra agrees. He retired the Never Alone chatbot and realised intervention was better left to the pros, but said it was a key stepping stone in recognising the benefits of AI for mental well-being.

Watch Mamamia discuss mental health and technology. Post continues below.

Artificial intelligence and wellbeing.

"A knife can be used to kill a person, but in a surgeon's hands, a knife heals. A hammer can be used to also knock somebody on the head, but in a carpenter's hands, it's an amazing tool."

It's interesting food for thought by Chopra. He says the same applies to technology and believes it can be an important tool in pursuing happiness.

"I actually believe that given shared vision and maximum diversity of storytellers and talent, we could use AI to create a more peaceful, sustainable, healthier and joyful world," he said.

"All the challenges we have right now — like climate change, like social and economic injustice, like chronic disease, like an unsustainable biology — all these are reversible, and AI has the ability to tell us how to do it. We just have to have the collective will."

Deepak Chopra believes artificial intelligence can enhance human connection. Image: Getty.

While some may be apprehensive about the future of AI, Chopra believes it can enhance our human connection.

"I believe you can use AI to create global, online and offline communities where people serve each other, where people engage in community work, and where people are there for each other, listening to each other, caring for each other," he said.

"It depends on us, our creativity. It does not need to take away the human connection at all. In fact, it can enhance it."

I guess we'll have to wait and see what the future holds.

Feature image: Getty.