Would you use an AI therapist? | Wellcome

Описание: And is it really humans versus AI?

Chatbots have been advancing for decades, ready to talk whenever we need them. With most mental health therapy built on conversation, it’s not surprising that more of us are turning to these bots for support.

However, not everyone’s convinced.

With the right approach, chatbots could completely transform access to mental health care.

But many people are more cautious, concerned about unhelpful or harmful interactions, inappropriate regulation and widening health inequalities. So where do we go from here?

In our newest explainer video, we dive deep into the conversation around AI therapy – joined by Professor Miranda Wolpert, Dr Joyce Nakatumba-Nabende and Shuranjeet Singh.


📚 SOURCES AND READING:

Read Professor Miranda Wolpert’s latest article on AI and mental health treatment: https://wellcome.org/news/ai-and-ment...

In the introduction, we referenced some digital interventions for psychosis and PTSD:
https://wellcome.org/news-and-reports... https://bmcmedicine.biomedcentral.com...

We shared details of AVATAR therapy, which helps patients with psychosis find new ways of relating to the voices they hear. You can find more information about it here: https://www.kcl.ac.uk/news/spotlight/...

To read more on different user experiences with mental health chatbots: https://www.nature.com/articles/s4418... https://humanfactors.jmir.org/2022/2/...

For the study that concluded medically-trained chatbots could help people reframe negative thoughts: https://arxiv.org/abs/2305.02466

Or the study that found chatbots might be just as effective as human therapists for those with depression, anxiety or eating disorders: https://www.technologyreview.com/2025...

The Guardian provide a useful summary of the study by OpenAI and MIT, talking about loneliness and isolation in chatbot users: https://www.theguardian.com/technolog...

For more information and statistics about the NHS chatbot: https://transform.england.nhs.uk/key-...

We referenced an article about a chatbot for people with eating disorders: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/08/us...

🔔 Subscribe to Wellcome on YouTube: https://wellc.me/3Blh0c1

💬 SOCIAL MEDIA:
Connect with us on LinkedIn:   / wellcome-trust  
Follow us on Instagram:   / wellcometrust  
Follow us on X: https://x.com/WellcomeTrust
Follow us on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/wellcometrus...
Find us on Facebook:   / wellcometrust  

🔗 MORE FROM WELLCOME:
Wellcome is a global charitable foundation. We want everyone to benefit from science’s potential to improve health and save lives.
Read our latest stories, opinions and reports: https://wellcome.org/news-and-reports
Learn more about our work: https://wellcome.org/what-we-do
Find our latest funding opportunities: https://wellcome.org/grant-funding