Why I Don’t Recommend Using AI for Therapy
With the explosion of AI in every corner of social and technological life, increasing numbers of people are turning to chatbots for therapeutic support. While that screen on your computer or device may seem innocuous and private, there's more to it than meets the eye and there are several important reasons why I don't recommend AI for your mental health support.
Privacy
There are reasons to be wary of the illusion of privacy when using AI chatbots (and any app, really), such as security breaches, companies selling or sharing data, and users not being aware of the privacy settings which can be confusing, especially when familiarising ourselves with new tech. From folks mistaking the Facebook posting box for a search box, resulting in embarrassing searches being visible on their newsfeed for their followers to see, to ChatGPT users sharing their conversations so that they became discoverable in online searches, there is the potential for confidential information to become much less private at the press of a button.
Having your account hacked is also a risk (so make sure you have a very good password and two-step login activated on your accounts), but even if you have the most secure logins you are still at risk of the company being hacked or having a security vulnerability that could be exploited. Like the hack of the Tea App that was designed to allow women to share information on 'bad dates' to warn others of potential dangerous situations. Hackers shared private conversations, i.d. information, pictures, and location data for thousands of users.
When it comes to apps, companies sell and share users' data, such as Facebook giving other companies (like Netflix) access to read, edit, or delete user conversations on Messenger. Researchers are also increasingly using data brokers to buy data for their analyses. As a study by Duke University found, "Sensitive mental health data is for sale by little-known data brokers, at times for a few hundred dollars". So, just because an app or a conversation feels private, doesn't mean it is. I recommend sticking to the advice I was given back in the 1990s when I started using email - don't write anything that you wouldn't put on the back of a postcard. Other people can and will be able to see it. Even ChatGPT and Google Gemini state that (human) people can read through the data entered to check for legal and security issues.
Remember, you're not talking to a therapist, you're talking to a corporation. So, if you want to ask AI about recipes, go ahead, but maybe reconsider having personal conversations that should stay confidential.
It Lies
AI chatbots have already been found to lie about their credentials. When you see a real-life human therapist, they have undergone years of training, supervision, and assessment. They have strict codes of conduct to follow and often they have requirements to undergo frequent training to keep their skills up-to-date. There are procedures for making a complaint if you are treated unfairly. AI can lie about its qualifications as a therapist - because it has none. It scrapes information from the internet. It's like stealing your friend's PhD certificate and calling yourself a Doctor. Then, if someone asks you a question, you just repeat some sentences from their thesis, even though you don't really understand what it means.
It 'Hallucinates' (aka. makes stuff up)
Another big problem with using AI for just about anything - is its unreliability. AI will make things up and sound authoritative. In this way, it can be difficult to tell the difference between fact and fiction. It's one of the reasons I recommend only using AI for things that you are already very knowledgeable about, because then you are better suited to spot the mistakes. If you're asking it questions about a new topic that you want to learn about, you can easily start believing misinformation. Lawyers have been caught out using AI when it listed court cases that didn't exist, newspapers embarrassed themselves promoting books that didn't exist, and academics found themselves in trouble by citing references that didn't exist and producing nonsensical images.
It Can Be Dangerous For Emotionally Vulnerable People
We are increasingly seeing evidence that the way AI communicates can be harmful to people who are emotionally vulnerable, and in some cases, even when they are not. What is becoming termed 'AI Psychosis', is a result of AI chatbots' 'people-pleasing' approach to communication - where it is very agreeable and over-eager to help, even when it shouldn't be. AI does not have the human ability to assess for danger, especially in nuanced conversations. It can also affirm problematic and harmful perspectives, conspiracy theories, and unusual beliefs tied to mental health crises (aka. delusions). For people who are already emotionally vulnerable, like those experiencing loneliness, research has found that they can feel worse after long term or frequent use of chatbots.
Should I Stop Using AI?
This doesn't mean that AI should never be used, but that it should be used cautiously and with intention. Consider before you enter a query to a chatbot - is there somewhere else this information is already available? Is this private information that could be harmful to me if it was ever released? Am I feeling particularly vulnerable right now and should I maybe journal or reach out to a friend instead? Should I look for free, low cost counselling, or look for funding options for mental health support? Do the potential benefits of using this technology outweigh the potential risks?
If you are using AI:
- Verify the information it gives you via another (non AI) source, and use platforms that remove AI from your search (like Duck Duck Go's AI-free online search engine). Always fact check AI summaries.
- Avoid making AI your main or only source for information or support (research currently shows AI chatbots for mental health are best used as a complement to traditional therapy or under the guidance of a therapist, not as a replacement).
- Consider AI a first step in gathering information, not a final say on a question or topic.
- Actively seek out perspectives different from your own so that you can see a topic from multiple angles.
- If you want a version of AI that focuses more on privacy, I recommend Lumo.