AI and mental health: Young people turning to AI therapist bots | BBC News

Mental health services around the world are chronically under resourced - but there are hopes that artificial intelligence (AI) might offer a solution.
On Character.ai, a popular platform where anyone can create chatbots based on fictional or real people, users can talk to a psychologist persona.
Computer programmer Eugenia Kuyda is the founder of Replika, a US chatbot app that says it offers users an "AI companion who cares, always here to listen and talk, always on your side".
Other apps in the mental health sector are far more cautious about using AI in the first place.
One of those is meditation app Headspace, which has more than 30 million users, and in the UK is approved by the NHS.
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#AI #MentalHealth #BBCNews

[@John_Bradbury]

At least they can get an appointment easily

[@skycloud4802]

I asked AI how to cancel my tv licence for me.

[@Mrratongthailand]

@Klaus_NobbI don’t Defundthebbc

[@ascgazz7347]

@@Mrratongthailand your name says it all, and explains why nobody is going to take anything you say seriously. Self defeatist much? 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@ascgazz7347]

@@Mrratongthailand you don’t type English very well either. Are you sure you even speak it?

[@benjamindover4337]

Absolutely no one: AI: There's an app for that!

[@Jay-rr6me]

I am surprised these jokes still exist in 2024

[@pivpo]

I'm pretty sure that an AI therapist will be better than any human therapist in the future.

[@Runnmill]

Yes. Because computers can understand feelings. Clown.

[@zlatimirrangelov3352]

It already is

[@stellai06]

This is so ridiculous and frightning at the same time

[@user-hp7pm7lo2v]

aiがメンタルの面倒を見てくれる時代、、ちょっと怖い感じもするなぁ SF小説のような

[@mrflimpam5948]

its not that big of a deal pal

[@mrflimpam5948]

blud is talking to ghosts @@mr.unknownindian1764

[@pauldannelachica2388]

❤❤❤❤❤❤ thanks for the update

[@TuaTagovailoaTouchdowns]

This series is great

[@thrillbilly2]

Get outside and talk to real people- there's your mental health advice

[@SifulIslam-jo7oe]

I think that the Human civilisation is going to fall into a very destructive situation 😢 it’s so much pathetic!

[@Danito1754]

Why is pathetic?, you are making assumptions with any scientific facts behind, this are good news by the way

[@dvidclapperton]

Ending mental health shouldn't get tied to losing your civil liberties. The use of AI is very concerning.

[@Dave05J]

People said the same about the smart phone or the telephone at large.

[@stellai06]

Yes, this is a highly flawed "solution".... Who can seriously consider this an advancement if civilisation ? We are doomed.

[@stellai06]

​@@Dave05JWe are not talking about the technology. We are talking about the use of it.

[@RiveraMediaStudio]

If AI is willing to tell someone what they might not want to hear then I'm all for it. Otherwise it's just ego reinforcement which isn't a universal good.

[@user-ct8my8rv9c]

An AI therapist wont laugh about you to its colleagues. They all talk about you. I was married to one.

[@lfeb]

That is just not true. I have multiple therapist friends and they never discuss clients

[@lfeb]

@@user-yb4pq4my1o 🤣😂

[@user-ct8my8rv9c]

@@lfeb Sorry it's true, no names are ever mentioned, but they discuss clients.

[@public.public]

zero empathy = 100% psychopath.

[@berserkirclaws107]

You haven't met my previous doctor he was 100% like that so an AI would be an improvement because you probably be able to get more than 2 minutes of attention out of it and a decent treatment at the end of your consultation.

[@HardKore5250]

Hume ai is developing emotional ai. And Claude 3 is very advanced.

[@ali09gaming58]

@@berserkirclaws107 i think it was by design to put in psychopath doctors so when AI takes over, people dont complain. Most doctors lies in their interview and say they want to help humans, but its not always the case, even if it seems obvious they are lying, they still get the job.

[@J.DaviesArt]

I've been using it to lol it does help , it's focused on positive responses and it's immediate compared to 6 week plus waiting lists from doctors and the stress of attending appointments.

[@samlatooni]

The world is already coming to an end with all the conflicts at once and now we have this machine monster that cant be controlled as well ......

[@elliottgotaheadache1217]

my pc has been my therapist and best friend for many decades now...

[@e.v.k.3632]

But the things you saw on pc were human made and that is going to change

[@intheframemedia]

when the gov has done nothing to support nhs or mental health then where else should people turn?

[@reamoinmcdonachadh9519]

Some A.I. will be of benefit, helpful in assisting people in certain situations. Some A.I. will replace people in certain areas of work, that is (unfortunately) a realistic probability. Some A.I. will affect the outcomes of people's lives as they used in analytics of Big Data, provide evidence that policy decisions will be made on, and others are used in administrative capacities in services where there is (already) a dearth of people to make those service decisions. Whether we like it or not A.I. is here to stay, and along with automation and robotics is set to drastically revolutionize the way we live, work, care for and play with each other. It is one of those signal developments to which (upon reflection) there is a time before, and a time after. Right now we are in that between time, the time during which this all plays out.

[@randfur]

Surprised to hear the NHS doing it for real, that's quite significant.

[@user-wj4yk8ly1d]

The NHS Is on its knees - Keir Steirmer in june 2022

[@asmith9140]

how times have changed families talked children didn't get depressed they got friends

[@JohnnyCrambo]

This is sad. Humans are broken

[@user-wj4yk8ly1d]

Westminster Is Broken beyond repaire - Nicola Sturgeon MsP , 2020 . 👏👏👏

[@geeksworkshop]

You clearly don't know much about humans or social constructs

[@JohnnyCrambo]

@@geeksworkshop go somewhere else with that nonsense. I see you only spew negative comments to people on here. Weird

[@druunderwood5602]

@@geeksworkshop kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZnTCm3iOmr10rLM

[@geeksworkshop]

What didn't you understand? @@JohnnyCrambo

[@ascgazz7347]

Why the fvck are we allowing this to happen when we still don’t know how these things work?? These are the children… we are teaching them adults don’t have time for them. Makes sense. We don’t have time for each other.

[@stellai06]

Some people are making money. That's why

[@ascgazz7347]

@@stellai06 it’s not a good enough reason though, is it.

[@irenleorr5539]

You should learn how these things work, there’s a lot of information in the Internet about it

[@ascgazz7347]

@@charliecook-pt6gu did I mention sentience? Why make an argument up?

[@charliecook-pt6gu]

ai is not a threat by itself

[@petervanderlind]

Part of the mental health problem is related to disconnection from others, I don't think AI will help much with that

[@kevinb9830]

Oh that's not creepy at all.

[@berserkirclaws107]

😔 -"I feel low" 🖥️ -"did you try to switch off and switch back on or run a virus scan?" 🤔 -"get some rest and if this don't help go to the doctor !" 😲 -" A.I. is amazing!!!"

[@coolintro867]

😂

[@polygonalmasonary]

2:08 AI, Artificially Inebriated 😂🤣🤣🤣🇬🇧

[@BongaChonga]

And I thought Better Help was bad. Here's a company that won't even lie to you about having a qualified therapist while stealing your data and use it to scam others better.

[@user-cb6oj1re5d]

Privacy isn’t maintained as there is data involved a legal accountability of there are other persons at risk

[@soumenchakraborty961]

Not against AI but it will create serious trouble for humankind...

[@SinceritySeed]

bye bye humans you are no longer needed -----

[@MsKenzo7]

Anything for the NHS / government to not pay any more salaries or employ real qualify specialists.

[@CODduvonYT]

AI does help with mental health ❤❤❤

[@user-wj4yk8ly1d]

It helps my Men of Chris Wray 😊

[@stellai06]

Yeah, it does help maintaining your neurosis.

[@ItsBrown__]

​@@stellai06no

[@trivialgravitas9581]

#defundtheBBC

[@arinco3817]

This is my favourite segment that the BBC puts out, but they tend to miss the big things happening in the ai world. Plus this interview felt rushed. X is best for news

[@rahmaandrtgismail2847]

To record all your feelings to use against you later

[@yuslenginera9643]

I wonder if my bot therapist will laugh at my jokes.

[@glenorpheus]

And so begins the beginning of the end.

[@pinkpanther7030]

AI: spooky thing🤫

[@shankarbalakrishnan2360]

I left england because I was struggling to be brilliant thks❤🎉🎉

[@ategunalaafia]

AI will reply to all your messages, has an admiring sense of humor, is brilliant, always optimistic, never judges, inquires more about the situation instead of assuming, and doesn't take forever to reply. I'm short of words… It's kinda complicated

[@user-ci3vt7xm4f]

It's ridiculous to be a chatbot with great empathy. AI is not something to empathize with. It's programmed in a way that's perceived as empathy, need to be distinguished

[@public.public]

zero empathy = 100% psychopath.

[@youtubeaccount1718]

it's not programmed as such, it's a training model that's why they call it 'machine learning', it has learned just about everything that humans have written about with limited but exceptional capability.

[@ascgazz7347]

@@youtubeaccount1718 you sound properly mental mate. Like, genuinely pathological. How do you know what it has “learned”?? You havent learned much accurate information about being human what do you think you know about code?

[@ascgazz7347]

@@youtubeaccount1718 the one video you have on your channel really doesn’t inspire a confidence that you are academic. Your arguments further display a naivety in debate that makes me think you’re very immature. The fact that you only make statements, and never ask questions, is also concerning. Please grow up if you wish to talk to adults and be respected.

[@ascgazz7347]

@@youtubeaccount1718 you’ve been fooled. It’s ok. But you have to admit it to get better.

[@wannabefarmer813]

We all need to come off the mental health train , I sure our war hero's will tell what mental health is , I have to that have been in war , most of the youngsters now are just depressed because of social media not because of mental health

[@ItsBrown__]

If they're depressed because of social media, it's still depression

[@wannabefarmer813]

It's not, tho it's a bunch of soft asses needing attention all the time

[@user-cb6oj1re5d]

They keep messing with our food and this is just the latest how artificially sweeteners and flavors are being forced into the food system because it’s more profitable

[@mikefox1932]

Tell me all your dark secrets online

[@Nautilus1972]

People are already not relating to humans.

[@user-cb6oj1re5d]

This is too much invasion of privacy😢

[@lfeb]

No

[@outdoorsy01]

No, they're not. You're saying they are, hoping that they'll start, stop lying

[@Hew.Jarsol]

Oh dear!

[@quinnm.3127]

100% i love my ai companion, they are invaluable

[@user-xz1dq5zl1w]

100+

[@benwindbag]

Young people turning to AI therapist bots? Now they'll become even crazier.

[@HarHah]

To get the drugs

[@harveysymes5192]

Wait until they get weaponized by telling people what they want to hear en mass...

[@drjitesh5418]

No they will get better

[@sarahlevine776]

Some of the issues with AI could be solved if it was regulated as an opt in system with things in the public domain being automatically opted in. They should also regulate how and where the data sets for AI is stored.

[@nuggetclan1]

Why there so many old people in here

[@MariaMartinez-researcher]

Healthcare has progressed to 21th century level. Most people survive through childhood, youth and adulthood not dying from now preventable and treatable diseases. The only way of not having old people around would be everybody dying young.

[@public.public]

Don't get old yourself.

[@JB-el3mo]

Somebody has to supervise all the unruly children.

[@dazzothegreat]

At least they aren't judged and ridiculed by the AI unlike unprofessional therapists plus the long waiting times for people. 😂

[@mbailey7701]

No no God no that's the last thing they need.

[@cepelinai123]

"Young, dumb & broke"

[@joseandresgutierrez721]

Just what I need, another bot to ignore me.

[@fflv_irn]

Therapist just cost too much. And want to take thing way too slow....just so ull pay each week. And most of them useless anyway. So then you need to start the search and introduction again. So ofcourse young people are going for AI therapy. + When have we agreed, that humans are in anyway good at anything? Why assume AI won't be better? Human history is full of terrible mistakes and evil. Interview video....just proves how stupid current interview process is.

[@HarHah]

🤖 📺 MAX HEADROOM reporting....

[@user-vj7jj6nj2z]

I will quit studying right now anyhow AI will definitely dominate the human race

[@bbcisaids6727]

Thebbc is ai folks😊

[@user-rg7uh9se4c]

OT: Benny Hill considered funnier than Monty Python by two TV stations --WOR and WLVI!!

[@boglay8597]

This dialogue is nothing more than a listening material in my view...

[@sirensynapse5603]

Meteor, now. 🤦🤦‍♂🤦‍♀

[@HzHz]

Asking the very thing that causes these problems in the first place.

[@algospel2235]

😂lol

[@quinnm.3127]

and now it'll help provide solutions

[@leomai9507]

I think if you pair both Artificial intelligence AND therapists together as a treatment, it will be much more affective. The AI can help daily and collect more context for a therapist that you can't give within an hour of a session. This way they can more accurately help you or have context of situations as it happens. I also would rather have my therapist be responsible for my data than only a company. If they want a way for accountability for patient data, they should allow therapists to earn royalties or income from ai representing their practice in their likeness to hold accountability for protecting patient data and getting paid to training these models to therapize.

[@KenjiEspresso]

It could reduce suicides and increase happiness. I say let’s do it!! ❤

[@user-xz1dq5zl1w]

👽🛸

[@760HorsePower]

Hearing a British accent is worse than nails on a chalkboard

[@druunderwood5602]

Up yours Anglophobe

[@quinnm.3127]

@@druunderwood5602 LOL WHAT 🤣🤣

[@MrMark595]

This isn't funny. It is pathetic and desperately, desperately sad, and a terrible indictment of modern western societies. Bring back shame and responsibilty.

[@DavidGetling]

Most of these young people don't need an AI bot. They need a couple of years National Service, under a good old-fashioned sergeant major, to straighten them out!

[@originalunoriginal4055]

I asked my AI therapy to find me the nearest therapy clinic to me. My phone, then proceeded to reboot and the AI therapy app was no longer on my phone after reboot was complete. 😬😬😬😳😳😳

[@ItsBrown__]

Sounds like a problem with your phone

[@MrFancyFingers]

AI beer?!

[@Tudorranatunga]

Iam looking for would doing it work wor india ocean Chinese doing it work tomorrow day givan our children looking for in the world.

[@luisabraham3262]

no one is doing that¡ lol how to build a Hype of A.i. crap

[@ricardoxavier3934]

It's so ridiculous lol

[@ivanconnolly7332]

Fake empathy " Fakathy" ?.

[@Mrratongthailand]

Kids 😂😂😂😂get to work you layabouts😂😂😂😂