SCROLL NEWS / DISCOVERY
Search headlines
Find the stories shaping the conversation.
Results for " Ott " 100 found 🔀 AI-powered Shuffle
Sign in to save shuffle history.
Duke Health, CaroMont Health Partner To Develop Two New Hospitals In Charlotte, North Carolina
Duke Health and CaroMont Health are partnering to develop a 120-bed hospital and an 80-bed hospital in Charlotte, N.C.
Truist CEO shakes up bank's consumer, small business leadership
New Truist Financial CEO Mike Lyons revamped the Charlotte-based bank’s consumer and small business leadership and jettisoned one of the key digital initiatives of his predecessor CEO.
Democrats hope a rematch can dislodge Trump loyalist Perry in Pennsylvania
Few Republican members of Congress in swing districts may be more closely linked to President Donald Trump than Scott Perry of Pennsylvania.
From Snack Bags to Sports Drink Sachets: How PepsiCo Shares Packaging Science Across Foods and Beverages
Joe Manganiello talks about "lifesaving surgery" and 7-year health journey
Texas Adds 154,300 Jobs, Outpacing National Growth
Governor Greg Abbott touted the strength of the Texas economy as Texas employers added 154,300 nonfarm jobs over the last 12 months for an annual growth rate of 1.1 percent, outpacing the national rate by 0.8 percentage points.
Dealroom.co | Four entertainment giants take stakes in Japan's Flag
What's the deal? Japanese entertainment marketing firm Flag has…
NBA tells sportsbooks to ban certain bets and parlays: report
The NBA told sportsbook partners in a Friday memo to ban certain types of bets and parlays this season that gamblers used in recent wagering scandals, ESPN reported."There's a balance between ensuring that we are removing problematic bet types but also ensuring that we don't just move activity into the illegal market," NBA executive vice president Scott Kaufman-Ross told ESPN. "Where we landed right now, we think, is the right balance of those two objectives."
Can AI solve our mental health access problem?
Last week I asked you what worries you most about AI in health. It was close, but your top answer was “AI giving bad health advice.” Last week’s poll results: You’re in good company. This concern was top of mind at a conference I joined at Stanford last week, where researchers, clinicians, and people who build AI systems spent a day debating trust and safety in health AI. Stepping back, I’m also hearing your emerging concerns about AI’s impact on our well-being generally. I see this as a matter of public health, and we’ll take it in pieces as we learn together. Today we’ll focus on AI chatbots used for therapy for mental health. Early this month, Governor Newsom vetoed Senate Bill 903, California’s most ambitious attempt to regulate AI use for mental health. It’s at the center of active debate, and raises the questions patients, family members, citizens, and voters will face as AI moves deeper into health care. Let’s work through it. What is “AI-based therapy”? It’s really two things: purpose-built mental health apps designed to deliver structured support, and general chatbots like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini that people increasingly use for emotional support—even if they weren’t built for it. Spoiler alert: I don’t know whether the shift toward AI therapy is good or bad. The evidence isn’t there yet. But I do know it’s already happening, and I have some ideas about how we can roll it out with safety in mind. The therapy dilemma, in a nutshell Mental health challenges are common, and strain health and well-being across populations. Therapy (interactive dialogue with a trained, empathetic practitioner) helps many people heal. The demand for licensed therapists far exceeds the supply in California, and AI-based therapy can narrow that gap. AI-based therapy remains novel, unproven, and not well tested. Right off the bat, we can see we’re dealing with trade-offs here. Since the main driver of demand for therapy from a robot is lack of access to therapy from a human, we’ll start there. It’s too hard to find and afford a human therapist California is short roughly 55,000 licensed, non-prescribing therapists and counselors, about 40% of what we need. Psychiatrists, who rely on talk therapy as a complement to prescribed medications, are even more scarce. Eight counties have none, and density ranges from 1.7 per 100,000 residents in San Benito County, to 68.1 in Marin County. My wife is a psychiatrist in Marin, and even here access is tight. If it’s hard in the best-supplied county, imagine rural Sierra County, or the San Joaquin Valley. In 2024, more than half of Californians who tried to make a mental health appointment struggled to find a provider who took their insurance, compared with 14% for physical health care. When Senate staff posed as “secret shopper” patients and called 120 mental health providers in Medicare Advantage networks, they landed an appointment less than once for every five tries. Insurers pay behavioral health clinicians about 22% less than medical and surgical clinicians for comparable office visits. On top of that, billing denials and prior authorizations hit hardest at the solo and small practices common in mental health. Psychiatrists opt out of Medicare at the highest rate of any specialty. In many places, a cash practice for therapy fills quickly with patients paying $250 or more an hour, with no insurance paperwork at all. Families who can pay cash find providers more easily. Those who rely on insurance, including Medi-Cal enrollees, older adults, rural residents, and non-English speakers, compete for what’s left. So we can’t pretend the human system works, and we can’t blame people for turning to AI for support when they’re in distress. AI is filling the gap It’s estimated that roughly a quarter of AI users use it for mental health support. If you have internet, it’s available 24/7, it’s cheap, and it speaks your language. Uninsured adults are about twice as likely as insured adults to do it (30% vs. 14%). It feels anonymous in ways that may enable people to ask things they’re unsure or embarrassed about. The largely hidden, personal use makes it hard to study whether it’s actually helping people with their mental health issues, but researchers are trying. Does AI therapy work? A 2026 analysis of nearly 40 randomized trials found chatbots showed a real but small reduction in depression symptoms. But most of these trials were compared to an alternative of no therapy, not a human therapist. So the benefit of AI therapy is probably real, but modest, and mostly untested against the alternative of human contact. We need more studies. Serious concerns OpenAI’s own estimate is that more than a million ChatGPT users each week show signs of suicidal planning or intent. These are high stakes encounters, and AI doesn’t always get it right. That’s partly because a chatbot can sound like a therapist, but it has no license, no duty of care, and it’s not clear who to hold accountable when it gets things wrong. AI is also designed to help users in whatever task they’re seeking to accomplish. People may feel like they’re getting therapy, but they’re mainly getting a convincing conversation. It’s easy for an AI companion to wander into gray areas, like playing along with “creative writing” that may be about the user’s own suicidal intent. Courts are driving safety conversations A wave of lawsuits have been filed on behalf of families claiming that chatbots pushed people they loved toward self-harm, including teens who died by suicide. The first settlements came this year. OpenAI is headquartered in San Francisco, and dozens of cases alleging that ChatGPT drove users to suicide or self-harm are now before a San Francisco judge. Character.ai has filed for bankruptcy after several states brought lawsuits accusing the chatbot of pushing dangerous content to kids. But the technology seems to be improving. Last month, an independent evaluation found that newer AI models “almost never endorse suicide.” That’s progress, but our societal appetite for even one preventable death is very low. So how do we move forward? Finding a middle ground Earlier this month the governor vetoed Senate Bill 903, a bill designed to place guardrails on the use of AI for therapy. The bill would have prohibited any AI-based platform from being advertised as psychotherapy, and would have required a licensed professional to review and approve each encounter where AI was used to support therapeutic decisions. Newsom called it overly broad, since even routine screening questions would have needed clinician sign-off. Knowing we’re already short on mental health providers, requiring human review of AI encounters may not relieve our access problems. Still, the answer isn’t no oversight. Here’s one feasible short term solution. Rather than reviewing each encounter, a licensed clinician can design the guardrails: what counts as a crisis, what triggers an immediate handoff to a human, and what gets sampled for audit each month. The AI runs inside that structure. Conversations get checked, failures get reported, and a real clinician owns the framework. Medicine already has models to learn from. The FDA process for rolling out newly approved medications is an example. After a product reaches patients, we keep watching for adverse events. Patient-facing AI needs the same “digital pharmacovigilance”: systematic tracking of harms, near misses, and the types of groups that get hurt and why. It’s also critical that users know that they can reach a human if they’re in crisis. Most chatbots now include messages like these: Bottom line The rush to use unproven AI tools for mental health support is mostly a workaround, a sign of a health system people can’t get into. We need better access to proven care from licensed clinicians. That takes reimbursement that makes accepting insurance viable, and a bigger workforce. But, built and tested well, AI could be part of the answer. It could be the 2 a.m. check-in when no one else is awake, or a way for patients to practice skills their therapist taught them. It could be the first step to get someone the right level of care, and take paperwork off clinicians’ plates so they spend more time with patients. None of this is simple. The SB 903 veto doesn’t end the debate, and the legislature will be back. In the meantime, those of us using these tools need to stay informed, ask hard questions, and hold the companies building them accountable. I’ll try to do my part, and we’ll keep learning together. Love,Matt P.S. If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health challenges, emotional distress, substance use problems, or just needs to talk, call or text 988- you’ll reach a real person— or chat at 988lifeline.org 24/7. Dr. Matt Willis is the author of Your Local Epidemiologist in California. A California native, he’s served as a primary care physician, CDC epidemiologist, and public health officer for Marin County, where he guided the pandemic response. He lives in Marin with his family and their dogs, Teddy and Ramona. Thank you Cynthia He, MD, PhD, and Parnika Saxena, MD, for their guidance in preparing this article. Cynthia works in an outpatient mental health clinic, treating patients who have Medi-Cal or, sometimes, no insurance. Parnika works in an inpatient psychiatric unit, treating patients with public or private insurance or self-pay ability. All opinions are their own and do not represent their employers.
Scandal, ICE Raids and Paxton’s Problems
Co-hosts Brandon Rottinghaus and Jeronimo Cortina delve into the latest news in politics
Tottenham Looking For A Striker In January
Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly preparing to strengthen their first-team attack when the January transfer window opens, according to TEAMTALK, with Roberto De Zerbi said to have identified five potential striker targets.
Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment urges flu vaccine after child death
Bucs’ Josiah Trotter questionable for Steelers game with knee injury
Bucs rookie linebacker Josiah Trotter was limited in practice Friday with a knee injury and is listed as questionable for Sunday’s game against the Steelers. Trotter ranks first on the club in tackles (41) and passer rating allowed (66.
AI-assisted radiation treatment aims to protect healthy breast tissue
Dealroom.co | The algorithm of love: Match Group's CEO on the new science of dating
Key takeaways from the In Good Company podcast hosted by Nicolai…
Indiana's biggest home game ever will reveal just how far Curt Cignetti has taken the Hoosiers
ChatGPT gave a man unlicensed medical advice, leading to mental health crisis, lawsuit alleges
Charlotte business owner offering free house cleanings to families in crisis
Rachel Farber cleans at least 1 home a week for free for families dealing with illness, death or mental health struggles.
Gina Hinojosa talks governor race as early voting begins | Inside Texas Politics: Oct. 18, 2026
Chris Mason: Burnham and Swinney tussle over where power lies in Scotland
UK political debate has a distinctly Scottish feel after SNP's annual conference, says the BBC's political editor Chris Mason.
Southwest Iowa economic development groups announce new partnership
Advance Southwest Iowa Corp. and the Mills County Economic Development Foundation have announced a new partnership to strengthen economic development efforts across Mills and Pottawattamie counties. The organizations have jointly selected Joe George as senior director of economic development, effective Monday. This shared economic development position will focus on business attraction, retention and expansion, site…
5 things to know about Kings Entertainment's Spooky Takeover
The International Drive attraction gets an autumn makeover throughout October.
Hornets Could Move on From Tidjane Salaün
Tidjane Salaün may not remain with the Charlotte Hornets.
Hill Country businesses get more time to apply for flood recovery grants as holiday season nears
Eagles sign quarterback Joe Milton off Cowboys' practice squad
The Philadelphia Eagles signed quarterback Joe Milton off the Dallas Cowboys' practice squad, Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer confirmed Friday.
Dealroom.co | Parkview Health to acquire Ovation Healthcare in rural care push
What's the deal? Parkview Health has signed an agreement to acqu…
Major independent political analyst moves Jared Moskowitz-Scott Singer congressional race to ‘lean Democratic’
“Democrats (are) in a decent position to hold this seat.” A major political handicapper, The Cook Political Report, moves South Florida’s 25th Congressional District contest to “lean Democratic.”
Apple Pre-Orders Kick Off With First Discounts on HomeView and Apple TV 4K
Pre-orders are now live on Apple's newest devices, including the HomeView and Apple TV 4K, and Amazon has the first-ever discounts on these devices. We're also tracking great deals on MacBook Pro, Mac mini, and Apple Watch SE 3 in this week's best Apple deals. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
Birdbrained Science: With spotted lanternflies, squash away!
Frogs, locusts, gnats… and lanternflies? Though far removed from the Bible, spotted lanternflies are the latest plague (disregarding frat flu) to cross the University of Connecticut.
Health experts push for more cancer screenings amid Pope Leo's lung cancer prognosis
Colorado confirms first child flu death this season, health experts encourage vaccines
Packers Get Dak Prescott Admission Over Old Lambeau Boast
The Green Bay Packers have given Dak Prescott grounds to reconsider one of the first conclusions he reached at Lambeau Field.Prescott went into Green Bay as a rookie in 2016 and left with a 30-16 victory over the Packers. The Dallas Cowboys quarterback threw for 247 yards and three touchdowns in the win, while rookie […] The post Packers Get Dak Prescott Admission Over Old Lambeau Boast appeared first on HEAVY.
Joe Manganiello on why he's sharing his 7-year health journey: "The alternative became too difficult"
Minnesota veterans receiving claims assistance, health exams at clinic
Katie Zacharia is out after 5 days as White House press secretary
Zacharia had gotten off to a bumpy start with her first and final press briefing, followed by an onslaught of headlines about whether she had misrepresented herself as a lawyer.
Health Care and Crude Led the Week While Tech Lost Its Grip
American News Group News Commentary - The State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust slipped 0.28% and the Invesco QQQ Trust fell 2.62% over the five trading sessions ended Thursday, October 15, according to Stock Analysis data, as a hotter-than-expected inflation report revived concerns about interest rates and technology stocks sold off. Among U.S.-listed exchange-traded funds with at least $1 billion in assets, excluding leveraged and inverse products, the week's leaders came from health care, crude
AOC's $1 million donation to Abdul El-Sayed sparks political speculation
Schottenheimer reveals shocking new org chart for Cowboys coaches
The Cowboys are not making things any simpler, as they look to change how things are working for their defense.
Big Dom, Elon Musk and George Santos. The Pa. campaign cameos are getting weird.| PA 2026 Newsletter
The rematch between Scott Perry and Janelle Stelson heats up in Harrisburg. Philly Dems celebrate Bob Brady's 40 years with Big Dom and Joe Biden.
Banana Ball returning to Las Vegas Ballpark in March 2027
Banana Ball returns to Las Vegas Ballpark March 18-20, 2027, general admission lottery closes Oct. 31, 2026.
Beauty-from-within surges with new science, finished products
Beauty-from-within makes a comeback while ingredient research shows benefits for bone and gastrointestinal health.
COSI spotlights fall leaf color science experiment, plus new attractions for all ages
NBA, sportsbooks reportedly agree to ban certain bets, including parlays involving the under on same player's stats
Triple stabbing survivor calls for more mental health resources in Boston
BTS' Grammy boycott spreads to K-pop's biggest agencies
The decision of BTS to boycott the Grammys amid the newly introduced Asian pop category appears to have grown into an industrywide stand, with arti...
Ravens' Lamar Jackson Unlikely to Play Amid Third Missed Practice
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson was not spotted at practice again, all but guaranteeing that he will not play in Week 6.
Napoli must separate McTominay contract negotiations from their midfield plan
Scott McTominay’s reported contract discussions have brought Napoli’s approach to retaining important players back into focus.The immediate temptation is to read every negotiating position as a pr...
Democrats hope a rematch can dislodge Trump loyalist Perry in Pennsylvania
Few Republican members of Congress in swing districts may be more closely linked to President Donald Trump than Scott Perry of Pennsylvania.