AI Chatbots and Mental Health: Missouri Expert Warns of Rising Teen Use – Missourinet

Artificial Intelligence or AI is everywhere, even in mental health care.

With demand for services soaring and resources stretched thin, it sounds like the perfect solution.

But after headlines about chatbots causing harm, is AI really safe?

MU Health Care psychiatrist Dr. Arpit Aggarwal told Missourinet that for many people, AI can be the first point of contact when they’re struggling.

“But it’s not at a place yet where it’s ready to replace a professionally trained therapist in human or person therapist,” said Aggarwal. “And that’s why it’s the concern. It might be a good tool to start your process with, but it cannot replace a human therapist.”

Dr. Aggarwal said some safeguards have been put in place.

“ChatGPT which is one of the bigger players here they recently announced a new policy in which if they determine at their end that their risk for suicide they would automatically get them some help from a like a human,” said Aggarwal.

Could artificial intelligence ever replace a human as a therapist?

Aggarwal (told Missourinet that it is a very tough question to answer.

“Psychiatry and psychotherapy, it’s very highly dependent on empathy, reading emotions and most of the AI are more language models,” said Aggarwal. “So as of now, there’s nothing which can say that they can replace the human therapist in the near future.”

Dr. Arpit says using AI as a therapist is becoming more common, especially among teens—and that trend is raising serious concerns.

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