On chinadaily.com.cn

Society: Drug addicts get robot counseling

Guangzhou, Guangdong province, has employed a talking robot to aid the rehabilitation of substance users through human or machine counseling. The robot boasts a special appeal to addicts who find it embarrassing to talk to human community workers. Aided by artificial intelligence algorithms and big data, the machine offers individual counseling, psychological evaluation and a reminder of urine tests. After swiping an ID card and undergoing facial recognition, a user can start counseling, an important part of the follow-up care after drug addiction treatment, with the robot, which generates a report afterward.

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