An interview with:
John Wright
Founder and CEO of
As the social services industry struggles to respond to the recent explosion of commercially available AI tools, many practitioners are grappling with unknowns while the future advances. But among the many who are simply trying to keep up, leaders are emerging. One such leader is John Wright, Founder and CEO of NuIQ, whose years of work with artificial intelligence technologies is now helping others make this transition with excitement and confidence.
Paul Epp, VP of Foster Care Technologies, recently had the opportunity to interview John. They discussed John’s reasons for starting NuIQ and the ways in which his technologies can be used to benefit the social services industry. Below are some of the highlights from that interview.
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Paul:
What inspired you to start your company, and how has the evolution of AI technologies influenced its development?
John:
I’ve worked with AI in every decade since the 80s, and I’ve always been fascinated by its potential. The launch of ChatGPT in late 2022 was a turning point because this was the first time that the public had access to a large language model in a way that showed them its incredible abilities to perform tasks beyond human capabilities. As an engineer, this inspired me to create products that leverage AI to solve real-world problems, especially in areas like behavioral health where the need is great but the resources are limited.
The challenge is that many in the behavioral health space aren’t actively looking for AI solutions yet. Our role has been more about introducing these technologies. We ensure our products are HIPAA compliant by not using generalized language models like ChatGPT. Instead, we’ve built our own database and system to maintain privacy and security, ensuring that no data is stored or accessible to anyone. This gives agencies peace of mind knowing that their data remains confidential and secure.
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Paul:
Could you explain how your AI product works, especially in the context of HIPAA compliance?
John:
As we began testing various AI applications in behavioral health, we quickly learned that a key need for therapists was in the creation of notes. At a high level, our system is similar to ChatGPT in that it can summarize discussions that occur between therapists and their patients. However, we go further by tailoring the AI to specific sessions, such as therapy or group meetings, and generating precise notes like SOAP notes or session progress. These notes can then be integrated into an EHR for easy use. And we also use feedback from clinicians to continuously improve the system, ensuring it meets their needs without compromising security.
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Paul:
How does your product address the concerns of data security and privacy, especially when dealing with protected health information?
John:
We’ve taken significant steps to address these concerns by not saving any of the data that is coming into our system and by ensuring that our model is not training on any private information. Our system processes the input text in real-time and then deletes it, ensuring that no private health information is ever stored. This approach not only aligns with HIPAA requirements but also mitigates the risk of data breaches, giving our users full confidence in the security of their information.
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Paul:
Are there ways that your technology could be expanded or repurposed for other social service applications like foster care or child welfare?
John:
We see immense potential for expanding our technology across various social service domains, especially with our transcription process, which we believe is one of the fastest in the world right now. One of our upcoming products will streamline the intake process by auto-filling forms during interviews, saving time and reducing errors. You won’t have to go through the process of typing anything. The applications for our technology are vast, and we’re continuously exploring new areas where our technology can make a difference.
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Paul:
Can you share any final thoughts or anything else you’d like people to know about your company?
John:
We’re passionate about solving problems with technology and our team is dedicated to listening to the needs of our clients and developing solutions that address those needs effectively. We want to work with anyone who is facing a tough challenge so we can help them find the right solutions to overcome these challenges and improve the overall delivery of care in these behavioral health and social services domains.
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