Syllabus

MAS.S60 AI and Good Mental Health


Class Schedule (Subject to Change):


The four planned IN-PERSON class meetings will be conducted in adherence with MIT safety protocols. We will provide a remote attendance option for those who cannot join in person.

  • Wed Feb 17 Intro to AI for Good Mental Health

Examples and opportunity for Impact. Course mechanics.

COUHES, HWK1 assigned


  • Wed Feb 24 What factors can AI address to bring about better mental health?

Stories of COUHES human subjects studies and successful project examples:

Belen Saldias, Yuanbo Liu, Asma Ghandeharioun, Darian Bhathena, and Katie Matton

Project ideas discussion: Your ideas and team-building

HWK2 assigned


  • Wed Mar 3 IN-PERSON CLASS OPTION

AI for online peer-support and CBT with Dr. Rob Morris, founder of koko.ai

Present and brainstorm project ideas & interests, form project teams

HWK3 assigned: Project Proposal and completed CITI certificates


  • Wed Mar 10 IN-PERSON CLASS OPTION

Students present "final" project plans & collaborate on design of experiments

Evaluating impact with AI technology and good experiment designs

HWK4 assigned; FINALIZE COUHES FORMS & get Department sign off


  • Wed Mar 17 Models of Persuasion and Behavior Change, Growth Mindset

How AI can help/hinder with Yuanbo Liu

Mar 17 DUE: Submit PI-signed AND Department-head-signed forms to COUHES

HWK5 assigned


  • Wed Mar 24 The power of in-person social, with David Ramsay

Physical vs. AI-based social interaction and non-verbal communications

Measures of physical synchrony and rapport-building

HWK6 assigned


  • Wed Mar 31 IN-PERSON CLASS OPTION

Project implementation updates, demos, feedback, support

HWK7 assigned


  • Wed Apr 7 Meaning, Purpose, Social Support, Religious community - what do the data say?

HWK8 assigned


  • Wed Apr 14 Long-term mental health studies, wearable data with physiology, sleep, and activity,

with Dr. Szymon Fedor, MIT

NO HWK9 assigned - student holiday between classes - nothing to turn in :)

COUHES APPROVALS RETURN >= April 15; STUDY IMPLEMENTATION BEGINS


  • Wed Apr 21 Tips and Tricks for Engagement with Relational agents with Prof. Tim Bickmore, NEU

Agents "that care," When is a software agent effective at influencing health outcomes?

HWK10 assigned


  • Wed Apr 28 Integration of AI with Psychiatry - Digital Phenotyping, Apps that help improve mental health

Dr. John Torous, MD, Director of digitalpsych.org​ @Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

with panelists for Q&A about practical implementation in psychiatry:

David Mischoulon, MD PhD, Director of the MGH Depression Clinic Research Program

Paola Pedrelli, PhD, Assistant in Psychology at MGH


  • Wed May 5 Engagement, Ethics & Mental Health Data, Additional Wellbeing practices & AI opportunities

Epistemology of the Psychological: Theories and Practice


FINAL REPORT DRAFT (Without any results in it) DUE 10am ET Tues May 11

  • Wed May 12 Final Project Presentations Part I (online): Students present background work for their projects (everything but the results)


  • Wed May 19 IN PERSON CLASS: Final Project Presentations Part 2 and Celebration

Attendance "in real time" is required for all for-credit students.

Listeners are encouraged to attend online only (sorry! we are looking forward to this pandemic ending and having everybody together again having fun in person - we will get through this!)