Have you recently heard a lot of people talking about the possibility of AI taking over all the fields in some time, leaving humans with no jobs and professions whatsoever? Is the debate on how AI therapists can replace human therapists bothering you, too?
If such questions have been confusing you for a while and you want to know whether AI therapist chatbots are really efficient enough to replace human therapists, this write-up has you covered.
An Overview of AI Therapy
Though the concept of therapy is not alien to anyone, and fortunately, the taboo associated with it is slowly shattering, AI therapy and the concept of AI therapy are still new to some people.
If you don’t already know, AI therapy relies on AI chatbots and AI therapist app for your therapy sessions. This involves sharing your mental traumas and psychological conditions with AI therapists, available on certain apps such as ChatFAI, Character AI, Chai app, etc.
Therapy sessions with these AI chatbots are not really different from those you can experience with human therapists, as you can have normal conversations with these chatbots, and they can judge your feelings based on your chats.
Why AI Therapists Are Better Than Human Therapists?
The best way to find the answer to the question of “Can AI therapists ever replace human therapists is to look at the pros and cons of both methods and explore what advantages AI therapy has over human therapy.
Here, we have listed some reasons why we think AI therapy could be better than human therapy.
1. Accessibility
AI therapists are easily accessible, and there are no boundaries on time and place for you to seek therapy from these chatbots. This can make therapy more convenient for you, primarily if you reside in remote areas.
2. 24/7 Support
One of the primary things giving the free AI therapist a little edge over human therapists is the 24/7 support it offers. With human therapists, you are bound to book an appointment and have to hang on till a spot is available for you. That’s not the case with AI therapists.
You can open the AI app whenever you want to share your thoughts and pour your heart out in front of the AI therapist chatbot.
3. No Stigma Attached
Though seeking therapy has been quite normalized lately, some people are still not comfortable opening up about their problems and traumas in front of strangers. Considering their anonymity, AI therapists can be much more comfortable in this regard.
4. Cost Efficient
Seeking therapy can be a little heavy on your pocket, but not when you rely on AI therapist apps and chatbots. Signing up on the AI apps and creating an AI therapist is all you need to do to seek AI therapy.
How Does AI Therapy Work?
AI therapy is something users are finding quite intriguing, and it got a lot of people wondering how these AI therapists actually work. Well, frankly, it’s not as complex as it appears.
Just like other AI chatbots, these ones also use NLP to help humans interact with these machines. Some apps like ChatFAI and Character AI let you create AI chatbots and converse with them about all your problems and psychological issues.
Once you create the AI chatbot as per your requirements, you can add a public bio for it and start sharing your concerns with the chatbot.
What Are Some Examples of AI Therapy?
To elaborate on this a bit more, we decided to create an AI therapist chatbot on the ChatFAI app and exchanged some chats with it regarding the mental stress and trauma we were going through. Here is how the whole process went.
A Look Into the Future of AI Therapy
Imagine a future where an AI therapist chatbot can notice your facial expressions, monitor your heart and pulse rate, and observe other symptoms to determine what’s happening inside your head.
That’s exactly how we predict the future of AI therapy. Currently, you can only chat with AI chatbots, share your thoughts with them, and express your feelings in front of the AI therapists, which can help them determine their responses.
The chatbots can only figure out what to say to you based on your prompts and verbal communications. However, this won’t remain the same. In the near future, these chatbots can even monitor your pulse and heart rate and determine your psychological condition based on your facial expressions.
These AI therapists can also be taught to give suggestions based on each patient’s condition, thus streamlining the therapy process.
Can AI Therapy Really Replace Human Therapists?
No matter how good these AI therapists are and regardless of their efficiency in understanding the patient’s situation based on the data they provide, they can still not be competent enough to replace humans.
At the end of the day, an AI therapist is still a human-made machine that has limited knowledge and only responds to humans based on the data that is fed to it. These chatbots don’t have a wit of their own and can’t think beyond what they are meant for, limiting their operations.
Limitations of AI Therapy
Some limitations of AI therapy make it questionable for them to replace human therapists.
1. No Emotional Intelligence
AI therapists lack emotional intelligence and can’t empathize with their patients. A lack of empathy and emotions can sometimes be hard for someone already looking for therapy.
2. Privacy Concerns
Opening up in front of an AI therapist can be harder, considering that not all platforms are as secure and private as they claim. Furthermore, the risk of your sensitive information getting leaked is always there.
3. Cultural Unawareness
When seeking therapy from a human therapist, you can share your concerns and traumas with a therapist who is aware of cultural norms and traditions. This isn’t possible with AI therapists as they can’t understand the society and cultural dynamics when giving suggestions.
4. Inflexibility
AI therapists are quite inflexible and aren’t really aware of handling complex psychological situations and problems. They are also pretty incompetent in handling situations that are out of context.
5. Misinterpretation Risks
A person suffering from some trauma and psychological stress sometimes struggles to deliver the exact emotions and feelings he’s experiencing, which means that there are always misinterpretation risks when seeking therapy from a free AI therapist.
Conclusion
AI therapists have been on the rise, especially after the emergence of ChatGPT and other such AI chatbots that converse with you like humans. However, amid all this chaos, it’s crucial to understand whether these chatbots are competent enough to replace humans or not.
Hopefully, this guide has provided you with the answer you have been looking for, and you can now make up your mind on whether to go to an AI therapist for AI therapy progress notes or book a session with a human therapist.
FAQs
Q: Can You Use AI As A Therapist?
Though there is nothing wrong with sharing your complex emotions with an AI therapist, it’s not a good idea to rely on the AI chatbot for your therapy, considering that its suggestions are not based on real-life experiences or situations.
Q: Is AI Therapy Free?
Multiple apps like ChatFAI, Character AI, ChatGPT, etc., provide free access to an AI therapist chatbot.
Q: Can I Use ChatGPT As A Therapist?
Yes, you can use ChatGPT to learn more about various psychological conditions as a therapist. You can even use it to get a different perspective on things.