Artificial intelligence comes to clinical psychology in the form of an assistant innovation

Artificial intelligence comes to clinical psychology in the form of an assistant innovation

Improving clinical decision making, which remains under the control of the psychiatrist, increasing productivity levels and optimizing time and resources. This is the goal of PsIA, a virtual assistant based on generative artificial intelligence (AI), developed specifically to support the activities of psychologists. The new tool, which was presented on Thursday, during the 6th Congress of the Portuguese Psychologists' Association, is the result of a collaboration between Microsoft and Visual Thinking and will be made available to more than 27 thousand professionals, through the Portuguese Psychologists' Association (Ordem dos Psicólogos Portuguese) (OPP).

The initiative came from the OPP, which evaluated the adoption of the tool, as well as the development of apps for psychologists, as a “strategic” step. This is due to the assessment of the head of the OPP, Francisco Miranda Rodriguez, cited in a statement, that “generative AI is an inescapable reality of professional practice,” and that the time is right to destroy the idea that AI constitutes a “competitive disadvantage.” He emphasizes: “This project does not replace our professionals in any way, but rather supports them, helps them, and always leaves the final word, decision and responsibility in their hands.” It's helpful. “And this is just the beginning.”

For PÚBLICO, the president talks about constant reflection “on the impact of technology on activity”, noting that “at the moment, the application is not able to carry out minimal interventions in the field of the psychiatrist”. He explains that this is because “on the one hand, he can't do it, and on the other hand, he has been trained not to do it, because that kind of approach is unsafe, and finally, that was not the goal.” .

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Among the things where the app can be of real help are basic situations such as “resolving a payment reference to an OPP that has expired” or “seeking information about a particular ethical issue”. Moreover, as Francisco Miranda Rodríguez says, it can help the doctor in moments of contemplation, almost creating a kind of dialogue, where “it is not intended to provide answers, but to point out paths, put forward possibilities. Since at the end he presents the bibliographic references that he used, The psychiatrist can then go directly to the document that can give him an answer.

Based on the latest GPT-4o model, capable of reasoning and communicating through voice, text and video, PsIA is supported by a knowledge base of more than 750 documents, allowing it to provide immediate and accurate answers, which, it is estimated, will allow doctors to save time searching for information, This frees them to focus on other humanitarian tasks, such as consulting.

PsIA “utilizes cutting-edge generative artificial intelligence technology that utilizes advanced natural language processing algorithms,” a statement explained. This allows it to “accurately answer even the most complex questions,” and “the system is programmed to make continuous updates that allow the latest information from the OPP to be incorporated.”

Manuel Dias, National Technology Director at Microsoft Portugal, praised PsIA as “an excellent example of the enormous potential of generative AI in the most diverse sectors and activities”, assessing that “in the field of health”, it can train “professionals with more knowledge and access to information, and in… Ultimately, improving the provision of health care to the population.”

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The PsIA will therefore be available to psychologists through a reserved area on the website Website OPP, is ready to interact in more than 20 different languages. “Our partnership with OPP and Microsoft has allowed us to create a tool that responds immediately and precisely to the needs of professionals, removing barriers of time and even language,” highlights Estela Bastos, CEO of Visual Thinking. “Thanks to this tool, psychologists have at their disposal a virtual assistant that supports them in their daily work,” he concludes.

By Chris Skeldon

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