LENOVO
29.5.2024 04:01:30 CEST | Business Wire | Press release
Today, Lenovo™ released the newest iteration of its Work For Humankind project, titled ‘Meet Your Digital Self’. The project highlights the role that smarter technology and AI can play in helping to advance change and support mental health professionals in addressing the global youth mental health crisis. This work aims to address the challenges young people face when living different lives in the real world versus online, as two-thirds (67%) of Gen Z feel a disconnect between their online and offline selves, fuelling feelings of loneliness and anxiety. While almost half (49%) of Gen Zs say it’s easier to express themselves online than offline, 60% wish they could have difficult conversations with family and loved ones in real life.
Sarah Kendrick, Clinical Director at Mental Health Innovations, the charity running the UK’s Shout 24/7 text support service said, "One in eight people globally grapple with a mental health condition, with Gen Z experiencing the greatest impact, where that figure rises to one in five. The type of AI innovation in Lenovo’s ‘Meet Your Digital Self’ social experiment shows promise as a way in which generations with different understandings of online personas can meet and understand each other.”
In this first-of-its-kind social experiment, Lenovo pioneered the use of AI made possible by its broad portfolio of technology, from mobile phones and PCs to infrastructure, software, services, solutions, and cloud. The combined technology brought to life the entire online personas of two Gen Z project participants as lifelike avatars capable of having unscripted, natural conversation.
The experiment facilitated impactful, heartfelt conversations between the participants, their family members, and the avatars – conversations that might not have happened otherwise, in real life. The family members either didn’t know about their Gen Z participant’s online world or didn’t understand and accept it: be it their career choices or gender identity. By asking the digital avatars questions and having real-time conversations, each family member gained invaluable insights into their Gen Z loved one's true self as expressed in the online world and were able to better understand and reconnect in real life. The project is a pioneering proof of concept demonstrating the positive impact technology can have in advancing positive change in the youth mental health epidemic, which has been worsened by their struggle to balance two distinct online and offline identities.
The 3D avatars not only resembled each participant but were built to be able to respond to real-time conversation – adjusting their tones, movements, and facial expressions based on the discussion. To do that the avatars were trained on data that came directly from each participant’s online persona.
According to new research from Lenovo, almost half (48%) of Gen Zs say talking to a trained professional would give them the confidence to talk more openly with the people they love in the real world.
In an effort to expand mental health support and resources for people in need, Lenovo has partnered with several organizations, such as Shout, a free, confidential, 24/7 text messaging service based in the UK; Crisis Text Line, a non-profit organization that provides free, 24/7 confidential text-based mental health support in both English and Spanish for anyone in the US and Puerto Rico; and Anata no Ibasho in Japan. These organizations train real people who are then supervised by mental health professional staff, offering support to millions in need.
The digital versions of the two Gen Z participants were created by weaving together data from across their social media, blog, and forum handles securely with their consent. The data was trained and tested, and the project designed and brought to life with Lenovo devices, services, software, servers, and cloud solutions. This is the first time ever that Lenovo solutions have come together to develop an avatar of this kind. Devices and solutions include Lenovo ThinkStation™ workstations; ThinkCentre™ desktop computers; Lenovo Legion™, ThinkBook™ and Yoga™ laptops; Lenovo tablets; ThinkVision™ monitors and accessories; motorola razr smartphones; ThinkEdge™ SE450 Edge Server; AI Professional Services and Lenovo | Dropbox Cloud Storage.
"Technology can become the bridge that shortens distances, making powerful human-to-human connection faster and more accessible to people in moments of need,” said Dr. Shairi Turner, Chief Health Officer at Crisis Text Line. “Whether someone is in a classroom, at a family event, or lying awake at night, the power of a text conversation with another human offers solace in anonymity and compassion without judgement. It is truly brave to reach out for support."
Crisis Text Line reports that more than 70% of its texters are under the age of 25. Its text-based service helps people of all ages but was specifically created for young people allowing for on-demand support through text message.
Anyone who sees themselves in these films, struggling to reconcile their online and offline identities and more deeply connect with their friends and family, or who simply needs advice on how to reach out to someone close to them, can reach out for support by messaging Shout (UK), Crisis Text Line (US), or Anata no Ibasho (Japan).
“We recognize the importance of achieving a healthy digital balance for our overall mental wellbeing,” commented Emily Ketchen, global vice president and CMO of Intelligent Devices Group and International Markets at Lenovo. “With huge advancements in AI and smarter technologies, now is the time to explore and pilot creative new ways to use technology like AI thoughtfully and responsibly, for the greater good. Lenovo is uniquely positioned to lead here thanks to having one of the industry’s broadest portfolios of smarter technology—from AI devices to IT solutions—that can work seamlessly together to benefit our society and the next generation. Ultimately, we hope that through our ‘Meet Your Digital Self’ social experiment we can spark meaningful conversations that contribute to the mental wellbeing of individuals and communities worldwide.”
Chinatsu Hoashi, Gen Z participant from Japan comments: “Taking part in the ‘Meet Your Digital Self’ social experiment has definitely helped strengthen relationships with my family. By using technology and AI, I was able to open up more and convey what I always wanted them know. This has had a positive impact on my mental health, as I can finally express feelings I have been avoiding telling people because I was too embarrassed.”
Oscar Jackson-Walsh, Gen Z participant from UK comments: “Taking part in this social experiment has helped me to become more confident and bridge the gap between myself and my online persona. It has also enabled me to have more open conversations with my family around my identity, which has not only made me feel more loved and accepted than ever before, but also less alone and anxious in a family space.”
Watch the ‘Meet Your Digital Self’ videos here: https://lenovowfh.com/
About Work For Humankind
‘Meet Your Digital Self’ is the latest evolution of Lenovo’s Work For Humankind platform showcasing how technology brings people together for the greater good. What began in 2020 as a way to step into the daily lives of 10 young women driving change in their communities has evolved into a groundbreaking, multi-year movement that showcases technology as a catalyst for impact, from Robinson Crusoe Island to cities and countries around the globe. Work For Humankind delivers on Lenovo’s vision of creating Smarter Technology for All through world-changing innovations.
With ‘Meet Your Digital Self,’ Lenovo creates the next chapter in this exciting campaign and aims to create a meaningful conversation around the positive impact that technology can have on society's wellbeing, including supporting mental health professionals.
About Lenovo
Lenovo is a US$57 billion revenue global technology powerhouse, ranked #217 in the Fortune Global 500, and serving millions of customers every day in 180 markets. Focused on a bold vision to deliver Smarter Technology for All, Lenovo has built on its success as the world’s largest PC company with a pocket-to cloud portfolio of AI-enabled, AI-ready, and AI-optimized devices (PCs, workstations, smartphones, tablets), infrastructure (server, storage, edge, high performance computing and software defined infrastructure), software, solutions, and services. Lenovo’s continued investment in world-changing innovation is building a more equitable, trustworthy, and smarter future for everyone, everywhere. Lenovo is listed on the Hong Kong stock exchange under Lenovo Group Limited (HKSE: 992) (ADR: LNVGY). To find out more visit https://www.lenovo.com, and read about the latest news via our StoryHub.
LENOVO, THINKSTATION, THINKCENTRE, LENOVO LEGION, THINKBOOK, YOGA, THINKVISION, and THINKEDGE are trademarks of Lenovo. RAZR® is a registered trademark of Razor USA LLC; RAZR and RAZR-formatives are used with permission of Razor USA LLC. MOTOROLA, the Stylized M Logo, MOTO and the MOTO family of marks are trademarks of Motorola Trademark Holdings, LLC. DROPBOX is a trademark of Dropbox, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. ©2024, Lenovo Group Limited. ©2024 Motorola Mobility LLC. All rights reserved.
To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240528448000/en/
About Business Wire
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
Netceed appoints Eric Updyke as Group CEO10.11.2026 15:15:00 CET | Press release
Netceed, a global leader in delivering supply chain solutions across broadband, data center and energy infrastructure, today announced the appointment of Eric Updyke as Group CEO, effective 10th November, 2026. He succeeds Alper Türken, who will step down as CEO on 10th November, 2026. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261110492065/en/ Netceed appoints Eric Updyke as Group CEO Eric brings more than 35 years of leadership experience in communications and technology infrastructure. Most recently, he served as CEO of Spirent Communications plc from 2019 to 2025. At Spirent, he led the company's shift from a hardware-centric vendor to a solutions provider built on software, automation and services. He also expanded the business into new sectors, including AI data center providers, and guided it through a strategic sale, culminating in its $1.5 billion acquisition by Keysight Technologies in 2025. Before Spirent, Eri
Nearly Nine in 10 Private Capital GPs Face Data Validation Challenges10.11.2026 15:00:00 CET | Press release
88% of GPs say finance and operations teams spend 11% to 50% of their time validating, reconciling, recalculating, or recreating administrator outputs70% of GPs are targeting outsourced or strategic co-sourced operating models, while 97% of LPs expect outsourcing to specialist providers to increase74% of LPs identify IT systems and cybersecurity as important to operational due diligence, while 59% want a documented AI and data governance framework shared during due diligence Nearly nine in 10 (88%) of private capital general partners (GPs) surveyed say their finance and operations teams spend between 11% and 50% of their time validating, reconciling, recalculating or recreating administrator outputs, according to new research from CSC, the leading provider of global business administration and compliance solutions¹. CSC surveyed more than 300 GPs and 200 limited partners (LPs) across North America, Europe, the U.K., and Asia Pacific. The report, Future Private Capital CFO 2026, examine
80% of IT Leaders Say the Digital Workplace Is Critical to AI Success, Yet Only 10% Have Fundamentally Redesigned It, Lenovo Research Finds10.11.2026 15:00:00 CET | Press release
Global study of 1,200 IT leaders identifies five connected dimensions of workplace readiness and shows where organizations can focus to turn AI ambition into measurable business value Eight in ten IT decision makers say the digital workplace is critical to successful AI-led transformation, yet only 10% report fundamentally redesigning it for AI, according to Lenovo’s sixth Work Reborn report, The AI-ready workplace. The findings expose a significant gap between deploying AI tools and the operating capabilities needed to integrate them into how work gets done across an organization. The report frames workplace readiness as a connected system spanning people, workflows, technology, support and governance, with each contributing to how enterprises translate AI ambition into business outcomes at scale. Based on an August 2026 survey of 1,200 IT leaders at organizations with at least 1,000 employees across 12 countries, the report examines the workplace conditions needed to translate AI dep
The $63.4 Billion Innovation Drain: Study Finds Unexpected Tech Costs Force Cuts into AI Investment and Hiring10.11.2026 15:00:00 CET | Press release
New economic research reveals how unpredictable infrastructure costs are constraining innovation, with potential savings that could support more than 111,000 jobs and generate $20.4 billion in long-term growthAI/ML infrastructure overspend is the most of any technology category at 37% ($23.4bn) of the total, and nearly twice as hard to forecast84% of organizations made at least one cost-driven trade-off over the past year Businesses across eight major economies incur $63.4 billion annually in technology infrastructure overspend attributable to opaque, unpredictable or difficult-to-forecast provider charges, forcing companies to scale back investments in artificial intelligence, hiring and new product development, according to new economic research from the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR), commissioned by Wasabi Technologies. The overspend reflects infrastructure provider charges businesses could not forecast, rather than their own planned usage. AI and machine learnin
Echodyne EchoShield® Selected for BAE Systems Anti Threat System10.11.2026 15:00:00 CET | Press release
High-fidelity MESA® radar data strengthens BATS’ integrated “sense, decide, effect” mission chain Echodyne, the radar platform company, today announced that its EchoShield radar has been selected and integrated into the BAE Systems Anti Threat System (BATS), providing the precise, persistent airspace data required to detect, classify, track and respond to uncrewed threats. BATS recently completed live trials in Scotland, demonstrating its ability to integrate multiple sensors and effectors through a single command-and-control architecture to identify and respond to evolving drone threats in real time. EchoShield® has been selected as one of the sensors supporting this open and interoperable architecture. BAE Systems is Europe’s largest defense company with its equipment, systems and services fielded by more than 25 European nations. BATS is a modular, software-defined counter-uncrewed systems capability that connects current and future sensors and effectors through a secure, resilient
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom