When depression becomes too severe, it often becomes a self-perpetuating cycle. When you lack the energy to even get out of bed, let alone to cook, clean, or keep up good hygiene habits, it seems almost impossible to begin to do any of the things that might make you feel better, like a simple walk outdoors. A lot of people need a push to get them over the worst slump until they can begin taking these steps on their own. Many people find that push through therapy or medication. What if you could find it in an AI therapy dog?
This concept explored in Fran Is Depressed is probably too close to reality to really be considered futuristic or the stuff of science fiction. There are already articles coming out about the development of AI therapy and I wouldn’t be surprised if Pawl actually came out on the market sometime in the near future. Pawl is very adamant that he’s a mental health companion, not a toy. Although Fran initially sees him as a toy, she begins to warm up to him when she realizes how much better she feels after doing the things he pushes her to do, like walking outside and making dinner.
Pawl, the AI therapy dog, explains in the end that he’s designed to give Fran that push until she can do these things on her own again. The part that made me tear up was toward the ending, when he told Fran what she was going through was hard and unfair. Pawl’s programming was meticulously engineered to respond effectively to depression; he’s even able to validate and empathize with her experience without judgement.
Catch Fran Is Depressed in the first shorts block, streaming free until 11/5: https://watch.eventive.org/mentalfilmness2023/play/651642c31116c70032643835/6507d53be737b7006fb2b745
