The Predictive Care Lab is an interdisciplinary research team exploring the interplay between Artificial Intelligence (AI), health service delivery and social justice. We combine Prediction + Care to illustrate that these advances are transforming how we define, conceptualize and operationalize care in mental health. Our team asks questions about how these tools are made, and how they might transform the experience of care more broadly.

Predictive Care was founded by Dr. Laura Sikstrom (medical anthropologist) and Dr. Marta Maslej (experimental psychologist). Our team leverages our award winning computational-ethnographic approach to identify and mitigate possible harms that might arise from technological ‘blindspots’ while also exploring the potential of AI by designing systems that align with principles to uphold the well-being of individuals and communities.

Taken from Nassim Taleb’s theory of social change, the image of the ‘Black Swan’ serves as a reminder that it is almost impossible to predict the range of social transformations that derive from major technological changes. Thus, our aim is to combine our expertise to ensure a more fulsome understanding of these new developments.

As mentors, Dr. Sikstrom and Dr. Maslej are also committed to cultivating the next generation of AI experts in mental health in Canada. Through interdisciplinary mentorship and training, we empower students to excel in this evolving field.

The Predictive Care Lab operates in collaboration with the Krembil Centre for Neuroinformatics (KCNI) at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH).