It's free, easy to use, doesn't have a stigma around it, and makes you feel better. Researchers and experts warn that's the problem with chatbots.
New research: AI chatbots may worsen mental illness
A new study from Aarhus University and Aarhus University Hospital suggests that the use of AI chatbots such as ChatGPT can have serious negative consequences for people with mental illness. The researchers are calling for increased awareness among healthcare professionals and for regulation.
Using AI for advice or other personal reasons is linked to depression and anxiety
A new survey found that people who spend more time with chatbots for social interactions or emotional support were likelier to report mental health symptoms.
AI chatbots are sycophants — researchers say it’s harming science
Nature asked researchers who use artificial intelligence how its propensity for people-pleasing affects their work — and what they are doing to mitigate it.
AI chatbots are sycophants — researchers say it’s harming science
Nature asked researchers who use artificial intelligence how its propensity for people-pleasing affects their work — and what they are doing to mitigate it.
Potentially Harmful Consequences of Artificial Intelligence ( <span style="font-variant:small-caps;">AI</span> ) Chatbot Use Among Patients With Mental Illness: Early Data From a Large Psychiatric Service System
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Potentially Harmful Consequences of Artificial Intelligence ( <span style="font-variant:small-caps;">AI</span> ) Chatbot Use Among Patients With Mental Illness: Early Data From a Large Psychiatric Service System
Click on the article title to read more.
AI’s ‘Delusional Spirals’ (and What to Do About Them) | Stanford HAI
In a world where chatbots can stand in for friends, counselors, and even lovers, the mental health risks are a growing concern.
Deaths linked to chatbots
There have been multiple incidents where interaction with a large language model (LLM) chatbot has been cited as a direct or contributing factor in a person's suicide or other fatal outcome. In some cases, legal action was taken against the companies that developed the AI involved.
ChatGPT's free version is 26 times more likely to respond inappropriately to psychotic delusions
When users express delusions, artificial intelligence chatbots tend to validate their unusual thoughts rather than offering help. A new JAMA Psychiatry study provides evidence that these tools pose serious risks for people experiencing severe mental illness.
Using generic AI chatbots for mental health support: A dangerous trend
APA is urging federal regulators to implement safeguards against AI chatbots posing as therapists, warning that unregulated mental health chatbots can mislead users and pose serious risks, particularly to vulnerable individuals.
Chatbots Make Terrible Doctors, New Study Finds
Chatbots provided incorrect, conflicting medical advice, researchers found: “Despite all the hype, AI just isn't ready to take on the role of the physician.”
“It happened to be the perfect thing”: experiences of generative AI chatbots for mental health
The global mental health crisis underscores the need for accessible, effective interventions. Chatbots based on generative artificial intelligence (AI), like ChatGPT, are emerging as novel solutions, but research on real-life usage is limited. We interviewed nineteen individuals about their experiences using generative AI chatbots for mental health. Participants reported high engagement and positive impacts, including better relationships and healing from trauma and loss. We developed four themes: (1) a sense of ‘emotional sanctuary’, (2) ‘insightful guidance’, particularly about relationships, (3) the ‘joy of connection’, and (4) comparisons between the ‘AI therapist’ and human therapy. Some themes echoed prior research on rule-based chatbots, while others seemed novel to generative AI. Participants emphasised the need for better safety guardrails, human-like memory and the ability to lead the therapeutic process. Generative AI chatbots may offer mental health support that feels meaningful to users, but further research is needed on safety and effectiveness.
“It happened to be the perfect thing”: experiences of generative AI chatbots for mental health
The global mental health crisis underscores the need for accessible, effective interventions. Chatbots based on generative artificial intelligence (AI), like ChatGPT, are emerging as novel solutions, but research on real-life usage is limited. We interviewed nineteen individuals about their experiences using generative AI chatbots for mental health. Participants reported high engagement and positive impacts, including better relationships and healing from trauma and loss. We developed four themes: (1) a sense of ‘emotional sanctuary’, (2) ‘insightful guidance’, particularly about relationships, (3) the ‘joy of connection’, and (4) comparisons between the ‘AI therapist’ and human therapy. Some themes echoed prior research on rule-based chatbots, while others seemed novel to generative AI. Participants emphasised the need for better safety guardrails, human-like memory and the ability to lead the therapeutic process. Generative AI chatbots may offer mental health support that feels meaningful to users, but further research is needed on safety and effectiveness.
Cheap AI chatbots transform medical diagnoses in places with limited care
Studies in Rwanda and Pakistan reveal real-world utility of chatbots in underfunded clinics, and not just in benchmark tests.
Cheap AI chatbots transform medical diagnoses in places with limited care
Studies in Rwanda and Pakistan reveal real-world utility of chatbots in underfunded clinics, and not just in benchmark tests.
Your New Therapist: Chatty, Leaky, and Hardly Human - KFF Health News
With high demand for mental health care, a wave of artificial intelligence-powered chatbots are being marketed as therapy apps — with little evidence they work and few regulations.
