A free AI-driven app that provides personalised grief support is one step closer to public release after a QUT research project was included in a $7 million grant round to improve the experience of death and grieving for older Australians and their families.
The Grief Guide app will work in partnership with professional therapy, to provide immediate, compassionate and judgement-free support when traditional resources are unavailable.
QUT Design Psychology Professor Evonne Miller leads the QUT project and said the $260,000 Wicking Trust grant will take the Grief Guide from prototype to delivery stage with the long-term goal of being free and widely available to people whenever they need it.
"It is unlikely a professional therapist will be taking your call at 3am – to talk, listen, advise and help you practice conversations," Professor Miller said.
"You wake up in the early hours of the morning, worrying and grieving – and you can't always ring your friends. This app can be there for you in the middle of the night – when you're awake and you're grieving."
Leveraging AI technology to engage users in therapeutic 'conversations', Grief Guide features personalised advice, advanced algorithms, and natural language processing to create real-time empathetic interactions.
"Australians typically don't want to talk about death, and yet, when someone dies – that is all you want to talk about," Professor Miller said.
"Grief Guide provides a safe space for users to process their emotions."
"It can assist with funeral planning and legal matters, directing users to the right resources. And it supports users in re-imagining life after loss, helping them to adjust to new routines such as cooking for one, and offering guidance on moving forward while honouring their loved one's memory."
The current prototype has been co-designed and tested in collaboration with palliative care and ageing experts, including Palliative Care Queensland, Council on the Ageing Queensland, the Good Death Impact Network, and Death Literacy Institute and backed by funds raised from QUT Industry Engagement in collaboration with People Tech Revolution.
To help with the project's long-term goals, the team has also applied for a $1 million Google accelerator grant.
"We see Grief Guide as being the first of many AI companions the team could develop to assist people through challenging phases of life," Professor Miller said.
The QUT team collectively has research expertise and skills in co-design and psychology, death literacy and palliative care nursing, tech development, visual communication, and neuroscience.
QUT academic staff involved in the project include Professor Glenda Caldwell, Professor Natalie Bradford, Professor Lisa Scharoun, Dr Heather McKinnon, Professor Selena Bartlett, Professor Sarah Holland-Batt, Dr Holli Evans from QUT Industry Engagement and People Tech Revolution's Simon Lowe and Leonie Sanderson.
Main picture: left to right - Professor Lisa Scharoun, Professor Natalie Bradford, Professor Evonne Miller, Professor Glenda Caldwell and Dr Heather McKinnon.
