Can AI Replace Human Therapists? The Promise and Limits of Chatbots for Mental Health

Chatbots like Woebot can offer personalized mental health advice and mimic human therapists, with some studies showing they reduce symptoms.

But human connection is key in therapy, and it's unclear if AI can truly duplicate the therapeutic relationship.

Evidence suggests therapy works, but experts don't fully understand why. This makes it hard to train AI to replicate it.

People are resistant to AI for mental health, craving human connection. But if it's proven effective, it may be more important that it works than how.

Algorithms will never be human. Overcoming resistance may require focusing on accessibility over perfectly imitating human therapists.