A Framework for Addressing the Risks and Opportunities In AI-Supported Virtual Health Coaches

TL;DR

This paper introduces a comprehensive framework for designing AI-supported virtual health coaches, emphasizing reliability, fairness, engagement, and ethics to address key challenges and opportunities in digital healthcare.

Contribution

It presents a novel framework that extends traditional data science pipelines with guiding principles tailored for AI-powered virtual health coaching systems.

Findings

Framework enhances reliability and fairness in virtual coaching

Guides ethical and engaging AI system development

Supports scalable and accessible healthcare interventions

Abstract

Virtual coaching has rapidly evolved into a foundational component of modern clinical practice. At a time when healthcare professionals are in short supply and the demand for low-cost treatments is ever-increasing, virtual health coaches (VHCs) offer intervention-on-demand for those limited by finances or geographic access to care. More recently, AI-powered virtual coaches have become a viable complement to human coaches. However, the push for AI-powered coaching systems raises several important issues for researchers, designers, clinicians, and patients. In this paper, we present a novel framework to guide the design and development of virtual coaching systems. This framework augments a traditional data science pipeline with four key guiding goals: reliability, fairness, engagement, and ethics.