--- title: "AI Can Tell If You’re Depressed by Listening to You Talk" description: "Researchers at MIT developed a machine learning model that can detect depression by analyzing speech and the way patients talk." date: "2018-11-06" modified: "2018-11-06" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/ai-depressed-listening-talk" categories: - "Artificial Intelligence" tags: - "ai" - "artificial intelligence" - "clinical depression" - "depression" --- # AI Can Tell If You’re Depressed by Listening to You Talk ![Researchers at MIT developed a machine learning model that can detect depression by analyzing speech and the way patients talk.]() *\Image: Tag Hartman-Simkins\* ## Diagnosing Depression Depression can manifest with [many different symptoms](), from a "loss of energy" to "indecisiveness" — broad criteria that make the condition difficult to diagnose with a high degree of certainty. Now, researchers at MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory [are working on an algorithm]() that could eliminate some of that guesswork. They used text and audio data from 142 interviews with patients — 30 of whom had been diagnosed with depression — to teach a [machine learning algorithm]() to listen for signs of depression in speech. ## Tone of Voice What makes this effort stand out is that the researchers examined the patients' tone of voice, not just the specific words they used. That technique made the model surprisingly accurate: It was able to identify subjects who had been diagnosed with depression with a 77 percent success rate. But before we go on and implement AI as a tool to diagnose mental disorders in the real world, we'll have to take these results with a substantial grain of salt. ## AI Therapy While chatbots like [Woebot]() have recently surfaced help people to deal with depression, they won't be able to replace a human therapist, at least for the time being. There are far too many variables, and while 77 percent sounds promising, a false positive could raise serious ethical concerns. For instance, AI diagnostic tools could fall into the wrong hands — like your employer or insurance company. But the researchers are realistic about their machine learning model's ability to detect depression. Rather than replacing human therapists, they see it as another tool in \[a clinician's\] toolbox,” MIT researcher James Glass, who worked on the model, [told]() *Smithsonian*. **READ MORE**: [Can Artificial Intelligence Detect Depression in a Person’s Voice?]() \[*Smithsonian*\] **More on treating depression**: [New App for Depression Uses Artificial Intelligence for Therapy Treatments]() ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()