Improving Well-being With a Mobile Artificial Intelligence–Powered Acceptance Commitment Therapy Tool: Pragmatic Retrospective Study

Abstract

Background Research and dissemination of smartphone apps to deliver coaching and psychological driven intervention had seen a great surge in recent years. Notably, Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT) protocols were shown to be uniquely effective in treating symptoms for both depression and anxiety when delivered through smartphone apps. The aim of this study is to expand on that work and test the suitability of artificial intelligence–driven interventions delivered directly through popular texting apps. Objective This study evaluated our hypothesis that using Kai.ai will result in improved well-being. Methods We performed a pragmatic retrospective analysis of 2909 users who used Kai.ai on one of the top messaging apps (iMessage, WhatsApp, Discord, Telegram, etc). Users’ well-being levels were tracked using the World Health Organization-Five Well-Being Index throughout the engagement with service. A 1-tailed paired samples t test was used to assess well-being levels before and after usage, and hierarchical linear modeling was used to examine the change in symptoms over time. Results The median well-being score at the last measurement was higher (median 52) than that at the start of the intervention (median 40), indicating a significant improvement (W=2682927; P<.001). Furthermore, HLM results showed that the improvement in well-being was linearly related to the number of daily messages a user sent (β=.029; t81.36=4; P<.001), as well as the interaction between the number of messages and unique number of days (β=–.0003; t81.36=–2.2; P=.03). Conclusions Mobile-based ACT interventions are effective means to improve individuals’ well-being. Our findings further demonstrate Kai.ai’s great promise in helping individuals improve and maintain high levels of well-being and thus improve their daily lives.

Digitally Assisted Mindfulness in Training Self-Regulation Skills for Sustainable Mental Health: A Systematic Review

“…The results of this study provided us with significant evidence about the positive impact of digital technologies in mindfulness training for the development of self-regulation skills. However, some studies provided evidence for a significant improvement [105,106,125,139,140,145], whereas other studies indicated that the intervention had a positive but not significant impact on self-regulation or that more research with larger samples and longer periods of training was needed [36]. None of the selected studies showed that the employment of digitally assisted mindfulness harmed self-regulation.…”

“…A total sample of 10.387 adolescents were engaged with the conversational agent for an average of 45.39 days, showing significant improvements in mental and emotional balance. Kao.ai was also used in the research conducted by Naor et al [140]. An analysis of 2909 users of kai.ai indicated significant improvements in their ability to maintain their psychological health balance.…”

Developing A Conversational Interface for an ACT-based Online Program: Understanding Adolescents’ Expectations of Conversational Style

“…User experience data collected from 13 adolescents in a one-session study of Beth Bot, a CBT-based chatbot for depression, suggests that some adolescents fnd mental health chatbots acceptable but that chatbots should be able to give personalized responses [11]. Kai.ai is a chatbot that has been designed with the broader aim of mental health promotion, utilizing ACT as well as adapting tools from positive psychology [38,50]. A longitudinal study over a period of four months indicated an increase in the well-being of participants, but the study did not provide insights into how or why the increase took place, and the disengagement from the use of Kai.ai was high [50].…”

Adolescents’ Well-being While Using a Mobile Artificial Intelligence–Powered Acceptance Commitment Therapy Tool: Evidence From a Longitudinal Study

“…As previously described, ACT aims to improve cognitive flexibility, as well as coping with challenging experiences, by focusing on cognitive diffusion, practicing mindfulness, and reflection on one’s values [ 22 , 23 ]. Kai.ai delivers the ACT intervention using an AI conversational bot that facilitates users in creating and enhancing habits for healthy living and resilience [ 24 ]. Kai.ai interacts with users throughout the day and leverages their responses to deliver a tailored ACT skilled coaching.…”