Microsoft supports IWill with 'AI for Accessibility' grant to develop AI CBT mental health program for 615 million Hindi users
The grant will help India’s leading mental-health platform to accelerate its efforts in creating local language-based AI mental health solutions
NEW DELHI, Nov. 11, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — IWill by ePsyClinic, India’s leading mental-health platform, has received a new grant from Microsoft’s ‘AI for Accessibility’ program to accelerate building its inclusive and effective Hindi-based AI Mental Health conversational program for more than 615 million Hindi-language users in the world.
As per WHO, nearly 1 billion people live with a mental health condition globally, yet there is an acute shortage of evidenced, low-cost and local language based mental health solutions. The grant awarded to IWill will help the fast-growing firm in its meticulous efforts to reduce this widening gap in India and overseas – specifically for Hindi language users, given that Hindi is the 3rd-most spoken language in the world.
Speaking on this occasion, Shipra Dawar, Founder & CEO of IWill, said, “We’re so excited and proud to receive the support from Microsoft. Since its inception, IWill as a company has worked to create solutions and offer programs that can benefit people dealing with emotional or mental health conditions across rural and urban areas, languages, economic and cultural differences both in India and overseas.”
“Hindi-AI based mental health CBT solutions that are empathic, effective and accessible is an area we started working on during the pandemic. And now Microsoft’s grant along with the access to AI’s expertise and technology will further help us advance our research in accelerating evidence and empathy of Hindi-based, tech-enabled mental health solutions while working closely with the interoperability of other solutions present within communities to enable patient recovery, well-being and growth. IWill, as a firm, will continue working towards bridging the gap with more language models and effective participatory solutions reduce the last mile gap for Bharat and for the world. As IWill, we are delighted to receive the grant,” Ms Dawar added.
About the Microsoft AI for Accessibility program
AI for Accessibility is a program aimed at harnessing the power of AI to amplify human capability for the more than one billion people around the world with disabilities. Advocating for people with disabilities, the program is committed to influencing the future of technology to ensure global independence and inclusion.
About IWill by ePsyClinic
One of the country’s leading digital mental healthcare service providers, IWill has effective clinician and counsellor driven programs as well as computerised and conversational CBT therapy programs. IWill has partnered with several State Governments & Public Health Departments (B2G), Global public health Institutions, large corporations (B2B), as well as individuals directly (D2C) to provide effective, high quality and affordable mental health services to people at the comfort of their homes. The platform has helped several millions of individuals through therapeutic content, digital and online therapy and self help tools. IWill as a brand is committed to providing mental healthcare to everyone who needs it and is strongly rooted in communities.
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Ashish Dwivedi
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