AI Therapy Chatbot Trained Using Patient Calls in Uganda

Calls to a mental health clinic in Uganda are being used to train an artificial intelligence (AI) therapy chatbot. Researchers aim for the tool to eventually offer support in local African languages. The project is based at Butabika Hospital in Kampala. When patients call the hospital's helpline, their conversations are helping to create an algorithm, which is a set of AI instructions. Specialists see this technology as a potential way to address the global shortage of mental health care. The goal is to develop an AI-powered chatbot that can understand and communicate in languages currently underserved by most digital therapy tools. This effort highlights a growing trend to use AI to bridge gaps in mental health services worldwide.