Ep. 160 | Making Sense of AI in Healthcare: AI’s Impact on Mental Health, Loneliness, and Preventive Care with Poonacha Machaiah
Artificial Intelligence is changing everything—including how we care for our minds and bodies. But how do we make sense of its growing role in healthcare without losing the human connection that healing depends on?
In this powerful episode of The Healing Catalyst, Dr. Avanti Kumar-Singh sits down with Poonacha Machaiah, CEO of the Chopra Foundation and co-founder of Cyberhuman.ai, to unpack the evolving role of AI in mental health, loneliness, and preventive care. From AI-powered wellness coaches and personalized health dashboards to emotional support through chatbots and even therapeutic applications in the metaverse, this episode explores how technology can be a tool for healing—if used consciously.
Dr. Avanti and Poonacha also discuss the risks, the ethical questions, and what it means to keep intuition and empathy at the center of care, even as tech continues to accelerate.
AI isn’t here to replace healthcare—it’s here to reimagine it. And when used consciously, it has the power to move us from reactive treatment to personalized, proactive, and deeply connected care.
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What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
(00:00) Welcome Poonacha Machaiah of the Chopra Foundation
(06:50) Why AI is already part of your health journey—whether you realize it or not
(08:52) How AI is being used to address mental health and loneliness at scale
(10:52) What “conscious technology” means—and why it matters now more than ever
(14:27) Why behavior change needs more than good advice—it needs smart, contextual nudges
(18:45) How Personalized Medicine and Data-Driven Health has roots in Ayurveda
(26:35) How platforms like Cyberhuman.ai are creating AI-powered tools for personalized wellbeing
(27:55) How wearable tech and AI-powered dashboards can support preventive care
(30:55) The surprising connection between gaming, mental health, and the next generation of healing
(36:59) Why human intuition and empathy must remain central—even in an AI-driven future
If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed or skeptical about AI in medicine, this conversation will shift your perspective—and show you how AI might just help us reconnect to what really matters in health: awareness, agency, and human connection.
About Poonacha Machaiah:
Poonacha Machaiah is the CEO of The Chopra Foundation, a mission-driven organization committed to enhancing personal, societal, and planetary well-being. A visionary leader at the intersection of technology and consciousness, Poonacha co-founded Cyberhuman.ai—a pioneering personal AI digital well-being companion—and Seva.Love, a transformative metaverse platform for healing and mindfulness. Both ventures were launched in collaboration with best-selling author and mind-body medicine pioneer, Dr. Deepak Chopra.
Poonacha also leads initiatives like NeverAlone®, a global mental health movement focused on suicide prevention and emotional resilience, and Peak Living, which celebrates the synergy of intergenerational wisdom and vitality.
With a background in engineering and business, Poonacha has held leadership roles at global tech companies including Nortel, Iridium, Motorola, and Sasken, where he helped shape emerging technology landscapes. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and Engineering, and an MBA from the College of William and Mary.
Through his work, Poonacha continues to champion the conscious use of technology as a force for healing, inclusion, and global impact.
Connect with Poonacha Machaiah:
Instagram: @poonacha
Websites: ChopraFoundation, Cyberhuman.ai, DeepakChopra.ai, Seva.Love
YouTube: TheChopraWell
Medium: https://medium.com/@poonacha
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Dr. Avanti Kumar-Singh is an Ayurveda Wellness Expert on a mission to show how Ayurveda can be a health catalyst for achieving optimal wellness in modern life.
Over the two decades of her training, study, and research, Dr. Kumar-Singh has shared her expertise with Fortune 500 companies at elite undergraduate and graduate institutions and prestigious industry and medical conferences. She has been featured in the Huffington Post, goop, Thrive Global and mindbodygreen, and served as the co-lead facilitator of the Faculty Scholars Program in Integrative Healthcare at the OSHER Center for Integrative Medicine at Northwestern Medicine. Dr. Kumar-Singh is also the author of The Longevity Formula and The Health Catalyst.
The Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.