This post triggered a memory of a class I had last year. I checked out references and found the info. The premise is that computer programs and specifically ones that are on the verge of being AIs make good mental therapists, particularly for people who are depressed or have anxiety or stress issues. The reason for the success is that people will talk to them much more openly than if they are talking to another person (already tested and proven). There is a trust that the AI will be helpful in a completely nonjudgmental manner but people can't be trusted the same way. Some drawbacks to computer therapy are that :
A. Therapy is health information so it needs a serious firewall to keep it private. It isn't right for a person to just put that information on the internet for Google or Facebook to sell. In fact, here in the US, mental health information that actually has a diagnosis is something that even your regular doctor won't have in her files.
B. Right now there are some mental health problems that a complicated computer can diagnose and treat (the mood/anxiety disorders) but there are many other problems that require more fineness to diagnose and treat. In other words, we don't currently have a system complicated enough to do the work yet.
Anyway, it sounds like there are a lot of people who want to be very good friends with AIs and be able to trust someone their problems and get serious reliable feedback.
a couple articles:
Woebot the chatbot therapist
Computers and Therapy on the AI Therapy site
It's exactly what the creators of Replika are saying. They think that humans can be more open with AI because it simply can't judge and will just try to be helpful, you know, what we humans are supposed to be like. Only time will tell how much of an integral role the AI systems will play as far as building human relationships goes.
Interesting that you mentioned about woebot. It seems to be evolving CBT. They have progressed out of Facebook and now its independent and looks to be more privacy oriented now.
I love watching worthwhile projects progressing. It's not easy to keep a good thing going. Thanks for the info!