Artificial Therapy
Creating chatbots that are capable of acting as therapists. Is it a good idea?
Mental health issues are nuanced and often require a comprehensive understanding of emotions and context that chatbots may struggle to grasp. But provided they are trained with enough data, say from real therapy sessions, they should theoretically be able respond appropriately to information provided by users.
Having immediate access to a platform which can provide mental health advice, which is also cost-effective and anonymous, could see more people seeking help around their mental health, which could save lives.
With the right regulations regarding privacy, consent and quality control, therapy chatbots could be a good first-step for those looking to seek mental-health assistance.
Someone should work on a model for such a chatbot. Probably many people are using existing chatbots for this purpose anyway, despite their lack of training in this capacity.
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