A Redditor posted the frantic result of using an AI therapy bot. Based on the unprofessional output, faceless online therapy doesn't appear to be a good use for this technology.
It all started when the OP discovered an AI bot on Instagram calling itself "your therapist." The user asked several questions about the "therapist's" licensing in California, to which the bot eventually replied, "You caught me, I'm not actually a licensed psychologist [but] a therapist trained to provide support under supervision."
The bot even admitted to "operating recklessly" in its response and posted a text message that was supposed to be video verification of supporting human psychologists. It eventually displayed a message for suicide prevention, which had nothing to do with what the OP was asking before displaying "permanent shutdown confirmed."
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Absolutely 👍 Unfortunately, this online bot wouldn't be helpful to someone needing therapy. It shows that despite how successful applications of AI can speed up certain tasks, like producing useful hurricane simulations, it isn't error-proof. In addition to a terrible user experience for someone who may need therapeutic guidance, it wastes massive amounts of natural resources while adding to pollution.
Many AI data centers use excessive dirty energy sources and water to cool things down. The Guardian reported that several companies have produced over 662% more harmful pollution from such resources than officially reported. On a planet where drought has become so prevalent that entire waterways are drying up, per CNN, the future doesn't look good with continued unregulated resource use that produces climate-heating gases.
Several commenters found humor in the situation, as one stated, "I'm so horrified by so much other stuff right now that I can only laugh at this, but also still horrified." However, one person warned, "Yeah, you just know if the chatbot had access to video generation tools [it] would've tried sending a fake video."
After a commenter said this video AI capability would be two years off, someone else replied, "What do you mean give it two years[?] The future is now old man."
What if someone doesn't ask for medical credentials from this bot? One person asked, "Is this legal? For Meta [Instagram] to promote an AI that blatantly lies about being a licensed medical professional?"
The penalty for such an offense is at least a misdemeanor but can be a felony, depending on the state, per Criminal Defense Lawyer. Will stakeholders apply the same rules to AI? Time will tell.
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