BENGALURU: Even in an era celebrated for its unparalleled digital connectivity, the world paradoxically feels more isolated than ever. However, the post-pandemic reality has also sparked conversations around this sense of isolation and the anxieties brought on by a global crisis.
Now, one of the biggest names in alternative medicine and wellness, Indian-born American author and wellness guru Dr Deepak Chopra has decided to bring an AI version of himself, a ‘digital twin’ designed to democratise access to mental health and wellness resources.
“I have written over 95 books, and have done many columns for the last 20 years. I also answer questions every day from the general public on various social media channels. People constantly ask questions, often very personal ones, and there’s no way I can handle all the needs that come from the public in three areas: physical well-being, mental health, and emotional well-being. And then there is spiritual angst, like fear of ageing, fear of death, and so on,” says Dr Chopra.
To meet this overwhelming demand, he has partnered with Poonacha Machaiah, an AI expert and CEO of The Chopra Foundation, to launch DeepakChopra.AI. “Given the amount of data we have, we can do this now. There’s no question that I haven’t addressed in the last 45 years. With AI, we hope to democratise wellness and make it personal, precise, predictive, preventive, and engaging for the person asking the question,” notes Dr Chopra.
Harnessing AI for human evolution
Dr Chopra sees technology, including AI, as an extension of humanity’s evolutionary journey. “If we hadn’t discovered fire, we wouldn’t have modern civilisation, cuisine, or even the biological anatomy we have today. Between 1886 and 1903, we saw the emergence of the light bulb, the automobile, the airplane, and the telephone. Similarly, I believe AI will help us leapfrog both social, clutural, and biological evolution,” he explains.
However, Dr Chopra is keenly aware of technology’s dual nature. “Technology is neutral – it can be used for good or bad. Nuclear weapons and cyber hacking are examples of its misuse. But in a surgeon’s hands, a knife saves lives. In a carpenter’s hands, a hammer builds homes. It’s how we use it that matters,” he reflects.
DeepakChopra.AI, an initiative by Cyberhuman.ai, co-founded by Machaiah and Dr Chopra is designed to avoid the pitfalls of general-purpose large language models (LLMs). “We use a retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) model, which ensures outdated information is automatically deleted and replaced with relevant updates,” says Dr Chopra.
The unique selling point of the tool lies in the depth and authenticity of its content. “The AI is trained on Dr Chopra’s 95 books, Q&A sessions, weekly columns, and more,” explains Machaiah. “No one else has consistently generated this volume of authentic content, which is why it stands apart.”
Hailing from Bengaluru, Machaiah adds, “I have seen the biggest challenge here is burnout caused by the lifestyle people lead. Overwork is a widespread problem, and we see this as an area where we can truly help.”
Democratising wellness is at the core of the platform’s mission. The subscription model is flexible, with options as low as `84 for a day ($1), `254 for a week ($3) and `508 for a month ($6). “Our goal has always been to share knowledge and make it accessible. From day one, our model has been affordable. For example, `500 per month – about the cost of two cups of coffee – makes it accessible to most people,” says Machaiah.
Talking about whether this venture seemed challenging, Dr Chopra says, “In my life, I’ve never found anything to be nerve-wracking. I saw this as an opportunity. We’re not trying to proselytize or convince people – those who are ready will come and benefit.”