Will AI therapists replace human therapists?
You’ve probably been seeing a lot about AI lately.
I wrote about what therapists need to know about AI in August 2024 here. A lot has happened since then.
Most notably, Slingshot AI announced Ash, “the first AI designed for therapy,” along with $93 million in funding. While the ethical concerns are obvious, the reality is that people are using AI for therapy.
Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI which owns ChatGPT, essentially admitted this recently in an interview, warning people that ChatGPT is not private.
With that said, will AI therapists replace human therapists?
I’m not convinced. I do think people will continue to use AI for basic therapeutic skill building exercises, so the more you can specialize, the better.
For example, people may talk to an AI therapist about their anxiety or depression, but they’ll want to do EMDR with a human therapist.