Alisha Wainwright

Have you ever used AI as a therapist?

It's okay, because you are not alone.

Many of us are already using these tools.

And I mean, I get it.

It's cheaper, it's immediate, no long wait lists or awkward consultations.

But as we heard last episode, it comes with some big problems too.

So we are back again with Dr. John Toros, Director of the Digital Psychiatry Division at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center for our second episode on AI and mental health.

And this time we are diving deeper into the world of AI therapy chatbots.

With John and some fascinating contributors, we'll explore how can AI help with mental health care's biggest challenges?

I was actually genuinely surprised that it felt like my most empathetic listening friend was talking to me.

It was very disconcerting.

and what potential pitfalls need to be avoided.

Welcome back to When Science Finds A Way, a podcast about the science changing the world.

I'm Alicia Wainwright, and you're listening to the second part of our conversation with John Toros on how AI is reshaping mental health.

Okay, let's get into it.

Hi, John, and welcome back to the podcast.

Okay, so we touched very briefly on the topic of Therabot's last episode.

So let's dive into that side of the conversation.

But I hear you wanted to ask me something first, so I'll let you take the reins.

So in preparation for this episode and thinking about sort of my experience with my own mental health challenges and also my use of a therapist on and off over the years, I hopped on the AI chatbot service that I use for everything.