Can AI be my friend and therapist?

When Ms Chu Chui Laam's eldest son started facing social challenges in school, she was stressed and at her wit's end.

- Vihanya Rakshika

She did not want to turn to her friends or family for advice as a relative's children were in the same pre-school as her son. Plus, she did not think the situation was so severe as to require the help of a family therapist.

So she decided to turn to ChatGPT for parenting advice.

"Because my son was having troubles in school interacting with his peers, ChatGPT gave me some strategies to navigate such conversations. It gave me advice on how to do a role-play scenario with my son to talk through how to handle the situation," said Ms Chu, 36, an insurance agent.

She is among a growing number of people turning to chatbots for advice in times of difficulty and stress, with some even relying on these generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools for emotional support or therapy.

Anecdotally, mental health professionals in Singapore say they have been seeing more patients who tap AI chatbots for a listening ear, especially with the public rollout of ChatGPT in November 2022. The draw of AI chatbots is understandable—it is available 24/7, free of charge, and will never reject or ignore you.

But mental health professionals also warn about the potential perils of using the technology for such purposes: These chatbots are not designed or licensed to provide emotional support or therapy. They provide generic answers. There is no oversight.

They can also worsen a person's condition and generate dangerous responses in cases of suicide ideation.

AI CHATBOTS CANNOT HELP THOSE WITH MORE NEEDS

Mr Maximillian Chen, clinical psychologist from Annabelle Psychology, said: "An AI chatbot could be helpful when seeking suggestions for self-help strategies, or for answering one-off questions about their mental health."

While it is useful for generic advice, it cannot help those with more needs.