MEET THE SCIENTISTS TEACHING AI TO DIAGNOSE MENTAL ILLNESS.

The concept is straightforward: use an algorithm to extract actionable insights by connecting data to emotions.

This science was not possible until very recently. The algorithms Tech uses are decades old: they combine with fMRI imaging, which was invented in 1990. But the computing power required to make them useful is finally available now, as is a newer willingness to combine scientific disciplines in novel ways for novel problems.

"PSYCHIATRY IS SEEKING TO MEASURE THE MIND, WHICH IS NOT QUITE THE SAME THING AS THE BRAIN"

Psychiatry seeks to quantify the mind, which is not the same as the brain. As a result, it is dependent on people quantifying how they feel.

It would be used by a team of scientists and researchers to help discover how humans respond to social situations. They want to compare the brains of healthy people to those of people suffering from mental illnesses. That information could aid in the correct diagnosis of mental health disorders and even the identification of underlying physical causes.

However, the ultimate goal is to identify the most effective treatment for any given mental health disorder. While clinical diagnostic surveys are generally quite accurate, they are not without flaws. What one person considers a 3 on a 1 to 10 sadness scale may be another person's 7, and yet another's ten — and none of them are incorrect. The language used to accurately measure pain is inconsistent.