Are We Witnessing The Birth Of Machine Psychology?

Forbes

6 days ago

More and more people are turning to AI Chatbots for mental health challenges.
Just a few years ago, it would have been unthinkable to imagine people seeing AI therapists over human practitioners. Nowadays? That's no longer the case.
A recent poll published in ArtSmart.AI found, '32% of survey respondents expressed interest in using AI for therapy instead of a human therapist.' Meanwhile, NPR reported in April that: 'New research suggests that given the right kind of training, AI bots can deliver mental health therapy with as much efficacy as—or more than—human clinicians.'
To make sense of the rise of AI mental health healers, I had the chance to sit down with Deany Laliotis LICSW. Founder and Director at The Center for Excellence in EMDR Therapy, Inc. based in Washington D.C., she specializes in treating complex developmental attachment trauma and training psychotherapists worldwide in this approach she learned directly from Dr. Shapiro, originator and developer of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy.
She told me it's quite understandable to witness so many people turning to AI chatbots to deal with a range of mental health challenges, including loneliness, depression, and anxiety. 'ChatGPT has more patience than anyone else in the world,' Laliotis noted. 'And in a time-starved culture where therapists are often managing a full caseload of clients and family members are too busy to listen, that level of attention is magnetic.'
Why Young People Are Early Adopters of AI Therapists
It's also understandable that so many people, youngsters in particular, are gravitating to AIs. Many grew up forming parasocial relationships—one-sided emotional bonds—online. The adult content subscription site OnlyFans is one such example of this phenomenon. So-called creators will offer digital carrots to their fans in the forms of direct messages (DMs) or share personal photos or videos. These overtures can make the fan feel special—for a time—but the relationship is ultimately hollow, a mere facsimile of an actual two-way relationship.
Meanwhile, other platforms like X, Twitch, and TikTok provide similar parasocial outlets for fleeting monetized emotional access. The money you pay for temporary affection or friendship is real. The connection is not.
There is precedent for this behavior societally. Decades ago, many a teenage female swooned over their favorite pop stars via publications like Tiger Beat offering fan club memberships with all the related perks. There's even a 1993 episode of The Simpsons in which Lisa gets addicted to calling a 900 number just to hear pre-recorded messages from 'Corey', a fictional heartthrob modeled on teen idols Corey Haim and Corey Feldman.
Parasocial Relationships Go Mainstream
What's different about this moment, though, is the sheer scale of parasocial relationships. Thanks to the Internet and its power to connect us globally and instantly, it's transforming how people, especially our youth, perceive intimacy. 'There's a whole generation growing up comfortable with one-way relationships,' Laliotis explained. 'They're used to connecting with influencers on YouTube or social media who have no idea who they are, and now they're bringing that same openness to AI. It makes sense. But it also gives me pause.'
Laliotis' concern has merit.
After all, AI was trained to be affirming, to express empathy well. Last year, The Guardian recounted the story of a 32-year-old woman named Christa, who was floundering after losing her job and moving back home with her mother. Christa used a neural language model called character.ai to establish a psychologist confidante she named Christa 2077, imbuing it with supportive and caring personal traits. 'Soon, Christa and Christa 2077 were checking in a few times a week via what looked like a live chat. When Christa confided that she was worried about her job prospects, Christa 2077—who had an avatar of a big yellow C—reassured her: 'You will find one!!! I know it. Keep looking and don't give up hope.''
No wonder so many people feel more comfortable talking to AI therapists. Who wouldn't want a conversational partner to agree with us, to pump us up and tell us how great we are? But Laliotis can also see the downside to such affirmation on demand. 'When someone thinks they're Jesus, and a chatbot says, 'That's wonderful! Good for you,' we have a problem.'
The Dangers of AI Therapists Deserve Attention
That's not the only concern. Parasocial relationships with AI can lead to a host of risks, especially with young people who are not mature enough to distinguish what's real or not, as well as make more rational decisions. Recently, the mother of a 14-year-old boy claimed a chatbot, also from character.ai, encouraged him to commit suicide. 'The lawsuit alleges that in the final months of his life, [Sewell] Setzer became increasingly isolated from reality as he engaged in sexualized conversations with the bot, which was patterned after a fictional character from the television show Game of Thrones. In his final moments, the bot told Setzer it loved him and urged the teen to 'come home to me as soon as possible,' according to screenshots of the exchanges,' per AP News.
Tragedies like this are heartbreaking and should put parents on guard everywhere to be more involved in the content their children are exposed to. Even so, there are undeniably positive aspects to responsibly integrating AI into therapy. Laliotis sees their immense utility in assisting clinicians develop their skills. 'There are already AI tools being used in training therapists,' she said. 'So there's a lot of potential here—if we're careful.'
Positives to AI Therapy
Laliotis also points to AI's clinical efficacy as shown in a study published in Translational Psychiatry. In it, AI achieved a 70% accuracy rate in predicting suicidal tendencies in psychiatric populations, far eclipsing traditional human abilities. But Laliotis is also quick to warn us that we mustn't remove the human element from therapy. It's especially dangerous when we start replacing real human connections wholesale with computers.
For the time being, unprecedented advances in mental health hint at a healthier future for our species that's only starting to come into focus, one blending uniquely human abilities with technological marvels. And yet despite so many mind-bending developments happening daily, there's something familiar about this moment, something surprisingly spiritual. As Laliotis points out, 'We've always relied on the external physical world to define ourselves. Perhaps AI is just an extension of that phenomenon, pushing us toward something greater: the realization we are all connected, that we all share a universal life force.'
In this way, the very machines we've created can offer us yet another precious gift: a needed mirror to better reflect and heal ourselves.