The Wellness Industry's Latest Trend: Using AI to Alleviate Health Issues

While the intersection of tech and Wellness has been predicted for quite some time, practical implementations of it have finally come to fruition. "Wellness Tourism" is when someone travels to an exotic location to engage in activities designed to enhance his or her health and well-being. One destination in particular has gone all out in terms of Artificial Intelligence (AI) being integrated into the program, but it'll cost you!

One of the first tech-driven Wellness centers is located in Hawaii. Located at the Four Seasons Hotel Lanai at Koele, the name of the experience is "A Sensei Retreat". While some of its technical feats are almost unbelievable, its price tag leaves it unaffordable for many Americans. At a minimum, a single night's stay at this resort will cost a tourist $4,574, with other "packages" at significantly higher rates. What do tourists get out of this?

How Does the "Retreat" Work?

Unlike traditional retreats, the first thing every participant does is have biometrics collected by a series of machines. Since the operation is still a "startup", it's closely monitored by tech professionals, notably without a literal Sensei present. Along with a questionnaire participants fill out, almost every imaginable statistic is grabbed, from areas of higher body temperature to exactly how hydrated each participant is.

This data is reviewed by trained medical professionals. Some medical issues that cannot be treated by a retreat in Hawaii may be found and addressed during the stay, depending on the severity. It should be noted that, while the founders certainly recommend that everyone participates in biometric data collection, it isn't a requirement for the retreat. However, not doing so seems to be spending a lot of money without taking advantage of the opportunity.

Where Does the AI Kick In?

Artificial Intelligence aggregates all the data collected from biometric devices and generates a report for you. After review by medical professionals, the report is approved and shown to you. All participants are assigned an in-person counselor who discusses results with them.

The counselor gets to know each participant and what his or her wellness goals are. Using the quantitative data and the participant's qualitative goals, the counselor creates individualized plans for each participant. AI also generates some of the recommendations, especially those that may not be obvious at first sight.

How Does the Retreat End?

After spending a certain number of days at the hotel, determined by the package selected, each participant is given an individualized booklet. This is partially machine-created and partially human-created by a member of the counseling staff. In short, it contains your initial biometrics and initial recommendations. It also contains a log of Wellness-related activities you performed and then shows the progress you made in various biometric areas.

The booklet is reportedly quite lengthy, and it even contains information from your counseling sessions where you came to an important conclusion. It's clear that the aim of the retreat is to combine the power of AI with humanity, a deviation from the common trend of making things completely automated. Remember, this process is still being developed and has only very recently been opened to the public. Its creators plan on making programs and "wearables", or devices that people wear to measure biometrics during certain activities like sleeping and exercising, and integrate more tech into the process. The program actively solicits feedback from participants and changes processes based on learning what participants did and didn't like.

What Is the Future of This Trend?

This novel mixture of AI and human professionals is similar to what is seen in some hospitals around the world. Unlike hospitals, this is intended to be preventive care. Though some tech giants have been working on AI-only tools that may be able to diagnose certain conditions, this may just be a winning combination. Some people prefer working with doctors one on one, and the AI ensures that doctors don't miss anything important.

Wrapping Up

As of now, operating costs are very high, so the cost of the retreat is very high. However, once the process is stabilized and the tech is completely developed, it's very likely that prices will begin to drop. As it becomes more accessible to more people, this data aggregation, processing, and integration into counseling could be a Wellness and medical norm in only a few more years!