Let’s Talk Artificial Intelligence & Depression

“Black and white shot of female silhouette standing near windows, Нью-Йорк, Техас, Соединенные Штаты Америки” by Alex Ivashenko on Unsplash

[Warning: the following addresses some very sensitive topics. Proceed with caution.]

• Depression affects 1 in 6 people
• Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death
• Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death for kids aged 10–24
• Demographically speaking, middle-aged white males are most subjective to suicide
• 44,965 Americans die every year by suicide (and that’s at an estimated “success rate” or “failure rate” depending on how you look at it of only 1 out of every 25 attempts)

The culprit, it would seem from our discourse anyways, is technology. At the very least, our relationship with it.

And while that is likely (partially) true for certain ages and demographics, I’m curious whether we can alter our view of technology, to see it not as the problem in itself, but as the potential solution to the societal epidemic.

The core question I have is this:

Can we harness advancements in technology to improve not just our efficiency or effectiveness as a human race, but to drastically increase the quality of our lives?

In this instance, I would define “quality of life” not by economic opportunity, but by our ability to live comfortably in our own…