Chatbot therapists c/o The Sunday Times

It wasn't that long along ago, I tweeted about the prospect of our clinical information systems 'listening' and autotranscribing one-to-one clinical contacts and even formal psychotherapy sessions. How time flies!

Individual

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      INTERPERSONAL    :     SCIENCES               

HUMANISTIC  --------------------------------------  MECHANISTIC      

 SOCIOLOGY  :    POLITICAL 

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Group

AI therapy chatbots 'Conventional'  Counselling / Psychotherapies Mental health - illness Issue of: 'Titles' I can call myself ... therapist, nurse ...	(New) Evidence-based Workflow: intake, assesses needs, booking into care, offers CBT based on guidelines. Uses a person's details, asks questions to identify the likely problem ... clinical
Empathy: Human - Machine Public safety DEMAND <-> supply Access to Therapy: Untreated? Other AI solutions - Slingshot AI	validation Regulatory approval Limbic AI unvalidated 'solutions' risk of a huge industry setback

My source: Danny Fortson, Chatbot therapists are here. But who's keeping them in line? The Sunday Times, August 17, 2025, p.4.

The online article is behind a paywall, but there is a related podcast (with advertising):

https://shows.acast.com/dannyinthevalley/episodes/the-man-behind-the-nhs-mental-health-bot

See also: 'AI' : 'ethics' : 'expert system, language'