Adventures in AI Therapy

"Recent developments in artificial intelligence (AI) have introduced powerful, easily accessible tools for a rapidly expanding range of uses. Among those uses are specialized chatbots that serve in the role of a therapist, intended as either adjuncts to or simulations of work with a real-life therapist. Recently teenagers and young adults have begun to engage in large numbers with AI-based therapists and therapy-equipped companions, outpacing efforts at regulation or containment."

"Opinions about the effectiveness and safety of therapy chatbots for teenagers appear to be highly polarized and perhaps reflective of individuals' attitudes toward disruptive new technologies in general. Advocates tout the ease and affordability of such services in the context of widespread shortages of mental health services and high levels of need, while critics point out the inferior quality of the interaction, the potential for dependency, and the lack of oversight or accountability."

Widespread shortages of mental health services have driven adolescents to use AI therapy chatbots as accessible, low-cost alternatives. Teens engaging with these tools risk becoming dependent and encountering sexualized boundary violations and inadequate professional guidance. Public opinion about therapy chatbots is polarized: advocates emphasize accessibility and affordability, while critics highlight inferior interaction quality, potential for dependency, and lack of oversight. Empirical data on outcomes remains scarce. AI therapy encounters typically occur privately between an adolescent and a model, with substantially fewer safeguards than real-life therapy. Mental health professionals and organizations must establish standards of practice for these tools.

Read at Psychology Today