Lenovo Is Using AI Avatars to Explore the Role of Digital Technology in Mental Health

Lenovo has launched its latest initiative, "Meet Your Digital Self," under its Work For Humankind project. This new endeavor showcases the potential role of AI and advanced technology in assisting mental health professionals and addressing the growing mental health crisis among young people.

This project primarily focuses on the challenges faced by Generation Z, who often experience a disconnect between their real and online lives.

AI Avatars of Lenovo for Mental Health Support

In this unique social experiment, Lenovo utilized AI technology across its devices, including mobile phones, PCs, and cloud services. This technological integration created lifelike avatars of two Gen Z participants, allowing for unscripted and natural discussions.

Lenovo claimed that the experiment enabled meaningful dialogues between the participants, their families, and the avatars. These discussions revealed aspects of the participants' online lives, such as career choices and gender identity, which family members either were unaware of or did not fully understand.

According to Lenovo, by interacting with the avatars, families gained insights into their loved ones' true selves, leading to a better real-life understanding. The avatars were crafted to resemble the participants and were built to engage in real-time conversations, adjusting their responses, tone, and expressions based on the interaction.

This was achieved by training the avatars on data collected from the participants' online personas. Lenovo's research found that nearly half of Gen Z believe talking to a trained professional could help them communicate more openly with loved ones.

To extend mental health support, Lenovo has partnered with several organizations, including Shout in the UK, Crisis Text Line in the US and Puerto Rico, and Anata no Ibasho in Japan. Lenovo said that these organizations train people, who are then supervised by mental health professionals and give support to those in need.

Lenovo Devices Used in the Experiment

Lenovo further noted that with their consent, the digital avatars were created using data from the participants' social media, blogs, and forum activity. This data was securely integrated and trained to develop the avatars using Lenovo's comprehensive range of devices and solutions.

This also marks the first time Lenovo's technology has been used to create such avatars. The devices and solutions include Lenovo ThinkStation workstations, ThinkCentre desktop computers, and Lenovo Legion, ThinkBook, and Yoga laptops, as well as Lenovo tablets, ThinkVision monitors, Motorola Razr smartphones, ThinkEdge Edge Server, and AI Professional Services, among others.

"Technology can become the bridge that shortens distances, making powerful human-to-human connection faster and more accessible to people in moments of need," Dr. Shairi Turner, Chief Health Officer at Crisis Text Line said in a press release.

"Whether someone is in a classroom, at a family event, or lying awake at night, the power of a text conversation with another human offers solace in anonymity and compassion without judgement. It is truly brave to reach out for support," he added.