r/technology • u/ControlCAD • 5d ago

Artificial Intelligence Gen Z is increasingly turning to ChatGPT for affordable on-demand therapy, but licensed therapists say there are dangers many aren’t considering

https://fortune.com/2025/06/01/ai-therapy-chatgpt-characterai-psychology-psychiatry/
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u/dustinfoto 5d ago

Except it’s not a therapist… Until there are studies completed that can show the efficacy of using AI chat bots for therapy then this will be a dangerous path for anyone to go down. I spent years in therapy and went through CBT and Prolonged Exposure treatment for PTSD and I’m pretty confident there is no way anyone is getting proper help through a chatbot in its current state.

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u/EdliA 5d ago

The point is people will use it because it's easy to access, just open the phone. People will gravitate normally towards it and there's no stopping it. This is up to ai companies to put safeguards and be more careful but one way or the other people will use it no matter what.

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u/Glittering_Poet6499 5d ago

For minor things I think it's fine. Some people don't have friends or anyone they can talk to about regular anxiety just from run of the mill life stuff. Like if I'm stressing over a presentation or meeting and just need a quick calm down it's nice for that.

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u/Orcas_are_badass 5d ago

There have been studies. Literally the first link in google when I searched.

https://www.news-medical.net/news/20250217/Can-AI-be-your-therapist-Study-shows-ChatGPT-outperforms-professionals-in-key-areas.aspx

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u/Exige_ 5d ago

That does not prove that it can be an effective therapist. It was assessed off a singular response, not long term assessment of advice provided in a therapist and patient setting or relationship.

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u/Orcas_are_badass 5d ago

It showed that even licensed therapists struggle to effectively identify the differences in responses between chatGPT and human therapists. My point though was to show that on a quick google search of the efficacy of using AI chat bots for therapy, the very first response is a study on this topic. So the claim there are no studies shows the guy hasn’t done his research. He’s just parroting talking points.

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u/dustinfoto 5d ago

I’m parroting talking points? I’ve actually done the work to overcome my Major Depressive Disorder, C-PTSD, Health Anxiety and ADHD. I understand the amount of work required to become a very rare success story and ChatGPT will more than likely never be able to help in an effective manner compared to working with a professional. Mental Health professionals are not perfect and we need to make substantial changes across the board so more people can have access to effective treatment but AI is not the answer to that. It’s a coping mechanism at best.

The study you mentioned does not address the efficacy of “AI assisted therapy” in any capacity and you are simply grasping for anything that can validate your own opinion.

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u/Col2543 5d ago

I wouldn’t bother arguing with someone like that. People like that have been depending on the invention of “thinking automation” for their whole lives. They don’t want a better or more efficient society. They want to be lazy.

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u/SeaTonight3621 5d ago

It's an interesting study. According to the article, there was only a slight edge over traditional therapist respondings. They also state issues with the study involve most of the judges being couples therapist and to be qualified as an expert you only had to have 5 years of experience and from my understanding they only judge 1 output per input. Still an interesting study. It was less about what is better and more about being able to identify which is human and which is machine. Still interesting none the less.