Can A.I.-Driven Voice Analysis Help Identify Mental Disorders?

Early tests have been promising, but issues involving bias, privacy and mistrust of “black box” algorithms are possible pitfalls. Imagine a test as quick and easy as having your temperature taken or your blood pressure measured that could reliably identify an anxiety disorder or predict an impending depressive relapse. Health care providers have many tools to gauge a patient’s physical condition, yet no reliable biomarkers — objective indicators of medical states observed from outside the patient — for assessing mental health.