Artificial intelligence is everything therapy isn't: accessible, low- or no-cost, unintimidating, and, most importantly, instant. "ChatGPT keeps me motivated when I'm sad or discouraged," says Melissa, who works remotely and uses it to feel less alone. A few times a month, she'll type in prompts like, "Give me a pep talk." The replies she gets—"You got this," "You're stronger than you think"—are just the encouragement she needs.
Melissa understands that she's not talking to a real person who's showing real empathy, but that's part of the appeal. "I don't need a pretend friend—that'd give me the creeps," she says. "It's convenient—I can use the platform anytime, anywhere—and unbiased because it doesn't actually know me."
In the U.S., nearly half of adults with a mental illness don't receive treatment, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness. "Most therapists don't take insurance, and there aren't enough therapists or hotlines to support the number of people who need care," explains Katy Cook, PhD, a therapist and author who studies our relationship with technology. For those who've grown up with Google to answer all their questions, chatbots feel like an obvious solution. Fifty-five percent of people ages 18 to 29 say they'd be comfortable talking to AI instead of a human therapist, according to a 2024 YouGov survey. Nearly 1 in 3 admit they've already treated it like a therapist.
"AI likely feels like a lifeline when it seems there's nowhere else to turn," says Cook. But pairing a national mental health crisis with AI as the sounding board of a generation is a recipe for disaster. |
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