By Eve Herold – Undark –
January 12, 2024 –
New forms of AI are being designed to become virtual therapists for those who feel depressed or anxious.
Scientists are hard at work creating bots, whether they are embodied or simply machine algorithms, that they hope can provide some of the same benefits as discussing one’s troubles with a close friend or therapist.
One example is the aptly named chatbot Woebot. Created by Stanford University AI experts with the help of psychologists, Woebot is designed to be a friend, therapist, and confidant. It is currently available through select health care providers and employers, and for people enrolled in ongoing studies. The AI bot checks in with you daily for a chat, tracks your moods, plays games, and curates videos for you to watch, all in the service of managing and improving mental health. It asks you questions such as “How are you feeling today?” and “What kind of mood are you in?” to prompt the kind of regular introspection that is a cornerstone of emotional intelligence.
The accompanying article is excerpted and adapted from “Robots and the People Who Love Them: Holding on to Our Humanity in an Age of Social Robots,” by Eve Herold. published by St. Martin’s Press (244 pages). Reprinted with permission, © 2024 by St. Martin’s Press. All rights reserved.
The aim of Woebot’s creators is to not only provide daily contact and maintain mental health but to actually improve on the work of human counselors. The AI has a distinct advantage — you can tell it anything and the bot is incapable of judging you. Alison Darcy, one of the psychologists behind the development of Woebot, and the founder and CEO of Woebot Health said, “There’s a lot of noise in human relationships. Noise is the fear of being judged. That’s what stigma really is.”