“I started thinking I could create an AI therapist using the ChatGPT API and modify it to meet the specifications of a therapist,” he said. “It increases the accessibility of therapy by providing free and confidential therapy, an AI instead of a human, and removing the stigma around getting help for people who don’t want to talk to a human.”
In theory, AI could be used to help meet the growing need for mental health options and the lack of mental health professionals to meet those needs. “Affordability is simply a matter of mismatch between supply and demand,” Iyer told BuzzFeed News. “Technically, the supply of AI could be infinite.”
In a 2021 study published in the journal SSM Population Health that included 50,103 adults, 95.6% of people reported at least one barrier. to healthcare, such as the inability to pay for it. People with mental health problems appeared to be particularly affected by barriers to healthcare, including cost, shortage of experts and stigma.
In a 2017 study, people of color were particularly susceptible to health obstacles as a result of racial and ethnic disparitiesincluding high levels of mental health stigmalanguage barriers, discrimination, and lack of health insurance coverage.
An advantage of AI is that a program can be translated into 95 languages in a matter of seconds.
“Em users come from all over the world and since ChatGPT is translated into multiple languages, I’ve noticed people using their native language to communicate with Em, which is very helpful,” Brendle said.
Another advantage is that while AI can’t provide true emotional empathy, it also can’t judge you, Brendle said.
“In my experience, AI tends to be non-judgmental, and that opens a philosophical door to the complexity of human nature,” Brendle said. “Even though a therapist presents themselves without bias, as human beings we tend to be biased anyway.”
This is when AI should not be used as an option
However, mental health experts warn that AI may do more harm than good to people seeking more detailed information, needing medication options, or finding themselves in crisis.
“Having predictable control over these AI models is something that is still being worked on, so we don’t know how AI systems could inadvertently make catastrophic errors,” Iyer said. “Since these systems do not distinguish true from false or good from bad, but simply report what they have previously read, it is entirely possible that the AI systems have read something inappropriate and harmful and repeat that harmful content to those seeking help. It is too early to fully understand the risks here.”
People on TikTok also say adjustments need to be made to the online tool; For example, AI chat could provide more useful feedback in your responses, they say.
“ChatGPT is often reluctant to give a definitive answer or pass judgment on a situation that a human therapist could provide,” Kyla said. “In addition, ChatGPT lacks the ability to provide a new perspective on a situation that a user may have missed before and that a human therapist could see.”
While some psychiatrists believe ChatGPT could be a useful way to learn more about medications, it should not be the only step of treatment.
“It may be best to consider asking ChatGPT about medications like you would search for information on Wikipedia,” Torous said. “Finding the right medication is about tailoring it to your needs and your body, and neither Wikipedia nor ChatGPT can do that right now. But you may be able to learn more about medications in general so you can make a more informed decision later.”
There are other alternatives including calling 988, a free crisis hotline. Crisis hotlines have calling and messaging options available for people who cannot find mental health resources in their area or do not have the financial means to connect in person. Furthermore, there are The Trevor Project Hotline, SAMHSA National Helplineand others.
“There are really great and accessible resources, like calling 988 for help, that are good options in a crisis,” Torous said. “Using these chatbots during a crisis is not recommended, as you don’t want to rely on something that hasn’t been tested and isn’t even designed to help when you need it most.”
Mental health experts we spoke to said AI therapy could be a useful tool for venting emotions, but until further improvements are made, it won’t be able to outperform human experts.
“At this time, programs like ChatGPT are not a viable option for those seeking free therapy. They may offer some basic support, which is great, but not clinical support,” Torous said. “Even the creators of ChatGPT and related programs are very clear that they will not use them as therapy at this time.”
Dial 988 in the US to reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. The Trevor Project, which provides suicide prevention help and resources for LGBTQ youth, is 1-866-488-7386. Find other international suicide helplines at Befrienders Worldwide (befrienders.org).
