Vocux: lifelike AI people to practise the conversations that matter
You
The conversations that matter are learned by practice.
Vocux
So we make lifelike AI people to practise them with.
Today there is one: a voice-only simulated patient for practising telephone consultations in medical education.
In development
Healthcare first
You ring a patient.
For medical students and doctors, undergraduate and postgraduate.
You ring a fictional patient and talk to her as you would in a real telephone consultation.
The patient
She answers as herself.
She remembers what was said. She holds things back. She has moods.
Good consultation skills win her over: open questions, exploring her concerns, explaining clearly, offering alternatives. A formula does not.
Nothing is scored yet.
How it feels
Guarded at first. Then a good question.
Fictional patient, generated voice
Optional. The transcript is the whole clip, word for word.
- Doctor
Hello, it is the doctor from the clinic. Is now a good time to talk?
- Patient
I suppose so. I have not got long.
- Doctor
That is fine. What has been happening?
- Patient
It is just a cough. I do not want to waste your time.
- Doctor
You are not wasting it. What worries you most about it?
- Patient
My sister started the same way. I have not told anyone that.
- Doctor
Thank you for telling me. Shall I explain what we could do next, and you tell me what would suit you?
- Patient
Yes. I would like that.
What makes it different
Three design choices,
and how she would put them.
- Voice only, like a real call. No avatar.
- You cannot see me. You have to listen.
- A person, not a checklist.
- I do not know what you are supposed to ask.
- She can say no.
- If it does not suit me, I will tell you.
Where this goes
Who might ring next,
and what they would practise.
Exploring. Not available.
Nursing, pharmacy, dentistry and allied health
Explaining a treatment to someone who is frightened of it.
Counselling and mental-health training
Staying with someone who is not ready to say what is wrong.
Helplines and crisis lines
The first minute with a caller who may hang up.
Customer service and contact centres
Calming an angry caller, in many accents and dialects.
Interviewing in policing, social work and law
Asking a hard question without leading the answer.
Honest status
In development.
One patient is being built now.
More will follow.
An evaluation with medical educators is planned.
Contact
Want to try it, or talk about it?
Write to