AI chatbots are here to help with your mental health, despite limited evidence they work
mental health chatbot Earkick and you're greeted by a bandana-wearing panda who could easily fit into a kids' cartoon.
Start talking or typing about anxiety and the app generates the kind of comforting, sympathetic statements therapists are trained to deliver. The panda might then suggest a guided breathing exercise, ways to reframe negative thoughts or stress-management tips.
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Offering CollegeCourseWebsiteIIT DelhiIITD Certificate Programme in Data Science & Machine LearningVisitIIM LucknowIIML Executive Programme in FinTech, Banking & Applied Risk ManagementVisitMITMIT Technology Leadership and InnovationVisit It's all part of a well-established approach used by therapists, but please don't call it therapy, says Earkick co-founder Karin Andrea Stephan.
«When people call us a form of therapy, that's OK, but we don't want to go out there and tout it,» says Stephan, a former professional musician and self-described serial entrepreneur. «We just don't feel comfortable with that.»
The question of whether these artificial intelligence -based chatbots are delivering a mental health service or are simply a new form of self-help is critical to the emerging digital health industry — and its survival.
Earkick is one of hundreds of free apps that are being pitched to address a crisis in mental health among teens and young adults. Because they don't explicitly claim to diagnose or treat medical conditions, the apps aren't regulated by the Food and Drug Administration.
