Each year, one in five Americans will experience some form of mental health illness. And while the need for help is clear, many don’t seek therapy either due to cost or stigma.
As a result, AI chatbots have jumped into the mix offering to become a substitute Freud to thousands. But can a bot do the job of a real therapist?
Leading experts will lead us through the Wild West of AI chatbots.
San Francisco-based psychologist Emily Anhalt has seen first-hand the effects of the country’s mental health crisis.
“The rates of things like anxiety and depression and burnout have skyrocketed,” Anhalt said. “There are not enough trained and licensed therapists out there to meet all the people who want to get support. It doesn’t surprise me that all these mental health apps are popping up.”
Anhalt is referring to the new breed of wellness apps such as Woebot, Replika, and Earkick that offer support through an AI chatbot. Treatments range from cognitive behavioral exercises to companion bots that engage with users -- all for a fraction of what it costs to see an actual therapist.
“We just wanna make sure that we’re not doing it in a way that actually causes more harm than good,” said Anhalt.
Leading worldwide expert and UC Berkeley bioethics professor Dr. Jodi Halpern is concerned about the Wild West aspect of apps that have no oversight.
Last year, the co-founder of Koko revealed the platform provided AI responses to thousands who thought they were speaking with a human.
“It’s not that I’m against in any way AI developing, but I think we need to think about regulation and doing it safely," Halpern said.
Halpern is leading the charge to make sure that chatbot apps offering mental health services become regulated by the FDA. She is concerned about the limitations of AI “therapy.”
“If you say that you have any suicidal thoughts or feelings, the bots just say. ‘I can’t help you with that. Dial 911,‘” said Halpern.
Headlines were made last year when a man in Belgium using the app, Chai, committed suicide after being encouraged to do so by a rogue bot.
“I have a lot of concerns about this wave of AI therapy,” Anhalt said.
Most AI therapy chatbots offer a free version and a subscription model with unlimited usage that costs approximately $100 or less per year.
In contrast, a single in-person session with a licensed therapist will run you between $100 to $200 for each session, less with insurance.
Halpern recognizes AI therapy is not going away anytime soon. She says it’s best to use AI as a tool for cognitive behavior exercises while continuing to see a real live therapist.