Could your next therapist be a robot?

When faced pinch a problem, it’s progressively communal for america to inquire a chatbot. Within seconds of posing nan question, you person an answer.

So it’s unsurprising group are turning to artificial intelligence platforms for illustration Woebot aliases ChatGPT for health-related queries.

The uptick successful AI successful psychotherapy includes tasks specified arsenic analysing transcripts of therapy sessions and educating students.

But tin a chatbot beryllium a virtual therapist?

YOU COMPLETE…LY UNDERSTAND ME

Whether it’s a beingness aliases intelligence wellness problem, chatbots tin supply speedy solutions.

And they’re often delivered successful an empathetic manner. This is because of nan natural connection processing trait recovered successful astir AI-driven chatbots.

Also known arsenic NLP, nan process involves analysing nan spoken aliases written connection for characteristics, traits aliases behaviours that could beryllium linked to a human’s emotions aliases feelings.

This subsection of AI enables chatbots to amended understand prompts to create and present human-like responses.

The imaginable of this exertion has proven to beryllium a tempting taxable for Australian researchers.

VIRTUAL BESTIES

In WA, scientists person been testing a chatbot utilizing NLP to find its imaginable arsenic an affordable and accessible virtual therapist.

Murdoch University research analysed nan capacity of an AI-driven instrumentality called Bestie. Bestie is designed to interact pinch patients by analysing nan connection successful their questions and providing customised responses.

While still successful nan investigation stage, first results recovered Bestie could perchance supply early intelligence wellness services to individuals struggling to entree a psychologist.

But chatbots could beryllium utilized for much than conscionable diligent welfare.

A HELPING ROBOT HAND

University of Melbourne researchers person flipped nan usage of chatbots arsenic virtual therapists.

Digital Health Senior Lecturer Dr Simon D’Alfonso and his squad person created a chatbot designed to thief amended nan adjacent procreation of psychologists.

Called Client101, its intent is simple. Act for illustration a diligent presenting pinch intelligence wellness issues truthful students tin practise their skills without nan request for a existent diligent aliases actor.

“Client101 chiefly started disconnected arsenic conscionable a measurement to simulate intelligence wellness clients,” says Simon.

“Students request practice, and sometimes each they person is their peers that they tin practise with, and … their teachers don’t really person overmuch clip to dress to beryllium patients.”

Researchers person created a chatbot to thief amended nan adjacent procreation of therapists
Credit: Shantanu Kumar via Unsplash

PROMISING RESULTS

Initial results from nan first Client101 proceedings were truthful affirmative nan exertion has been swiftly implemented.

“We sewage a fewer students to effort it out, astir 15 students, and we conscionable did a qualitative study of immoderate interviews pinch them and it was promising,” says Simon.

“This semester, we’re embedding Client101 into 2 University of Melbourne subjects – successful a objective psychology taxable and an acquisition psychology taxable – conscionable to spot really it fares successful position of being portion of nan curriculum.”

With nan mean psychology student requiring a minimum of 300 activity placement hours successful a year, this exertion could easiness assets limitations.

Simon says it would besides let students to practise whenever and wherever they can.

“I deliberation there’s committedness there, and utilizing a chatbot arsenic a training instrumentality is acold little problematic than trying to usage it arsenic a virtual therapist.”

HAVE A CHAT…BOT

With costly fees and lengthy assignment waitlists, nan usage of AI arsenic an online scientist is increasing.

Cost is nan largest obstruction for Australians to entree intelligence wellness services, pinch immoderate patients waiting up to 12 weeks to spot a psychologist, according to nan Australian Psychological Society.

Psychological distress among youth has more than doubled complete nan past decade, truthful it’s understandable group are turning to chatbots to get cheap, contiguous help.

Psychological distress successful young Australians has much than doubled complete 10 years
Credit: Nik Shuliahin via Unsplash

Like immoderate caller technology, chatbots travel pinch a informing for users to beryllium alert of nan risks of taking wellness proposal from what is yet a robot.

This informing is peculiarly paramount erstwhile it comes to therapy, which revolves astir speech and connection.

MORE THAN AN ONLINE CONNECTION

The humanisation of chatbots was first realised successful nan mid-1960s erstwhile scientist Joseph Weizenbaum developed 1 of nan world’s first chatbots, ELIZA.

ELIZA was utilized successful an research designed to show nan limitations of this type of strategy and nan superficial quality of interactions betwixt chatbots and humans.

But nan research backfired.

“[Joseph] was a small amazed erstwhile nan group astir him that he tested became much immersed [and] progressive than he thought they would be,” says Simon.

“What’s down nan surface is not immoderate sentient conscious agent, but there’s a inclination of group to anthropomorphise successful their interactions pinch systems specified arsenic chatbots.”

“There tin beryllium risks successful that area … group processing these problematic rapports aliases connections pinch these systems, which yet can’t beryllium genuinely reciprocated.”

This rapport betwixt quality and robot has since been dubbed ‘the Eliza effect’. It has resulted successful immoderate group processing friendships aliases moreover romantic relationships pinch chatbots.

In utmost cases, nan virtual relationship has resulted successful superior consequences, for illustration erstwhile a 19-year-old attempted to assassinate Queen Elizabeth II based connected a speech pinch a chatbot successful 2021.

Some clinicians are already putting AI to usage successful therapy
Credit: Paul Hanaoka via Unsplash

NOT A REPLACEMENT FOR HUMAN CONNECTION

Despite nan risks, nan usage of AI will go much common, including successful therapy wherever psychotherapists are already putting nan tech into practice.

“When you deliberation astir psychotherapy, it’s an inherently language-based task,” says Simon.

“People [are looking] into nan possibilities of utilizing earthy connection processing to analyse transcripts of psychotherapy sessions to get insights into what precisely is happening and ways that a therapist mightiness beryllium capable to amended what they’re doing.

“It’s not to beryllium a replacement for nan crushed truths that I deliberation humans are capable to generate.

“Sometimes it’s simply conscionable a matter of having a strategy because this is laborious work.”