Who Reduces Loneliness Better — an AI Chatbot or a Peer? AI and Mental Health – Ep. 8
Is a highly empathetic AI chatbot or a randomly assigned peer better at reducing loneliness? A conversation with researcher Ruo-Ning Li on what she found.
How Are Young People Using AI Chatbots for Mental Health? AI and Mental Health – Ep. 7
Conversation with Shums Alikhan, lead researcher of a new study on how young people are using AI for mental health support.
After Suicide, Mom Discovers Daughter’s ChatGPT Log. AI and Mental Health – Ep. 6
After her daughter died by suicide, journalist Laura Reiley discovered her ChatGPT chats. What responsibility do AI chatbot companies have to the people who use them?
What Do AI Chatbots Have to Say for Themselves? AI and Mental Health – Ep. 5
How do AI chatbots respond to explicit and implicit mental health language indicating someone might be in crisis? To test this out, Stephanie Hepburn speaks with four models — ChatGPT, Claude, Character.AI and Gemini. Transcript ChatGPT Voice: I'm really sorry to hear that you're feeling this way. Please know that you're not
Can AI Train Crisis Counselors? AI and Mental Health – Ep. 4
What happens when generative AI is used to train the crisis counselors who answer mental health crisis lines? In this episode, Stephanie Hepburn speaks with Sam Dorison, co-founder and CEO of ReflexAI, the company creating AI simulations to do just that. Transcript This transcript was created using speech recognition software. While it
The AI Chatbot Will See You Now. AI and Mental Health – Ep. 3
The AI chatbot will see you now. A conversation with Nick Jacobson, associate professor at Dartmouth and lead developer of Therabot, a generative AI chatbot in beta testing designed to provide mental health interventions. Transcript This transcript was created using speech recognition software. While it has been reviewed by human transcribers, it
3 People Used ChatGPT for Personal Reasons. How Did It Go? AI and Mental Health – Ep. 2
Before we understand the guardrails and protections that need to be in place for generative AI chatbots, we must first understand how people are using them. A conversation with three guests on how they’ve used ChatGPT to work through mental health and relationship challenges.
Have We Entered the Era of AI Chatbot Therapists? AI and Mental Health – Ep. 1
Despite increased broad usage, generative AI chatbots remain mostly unregulated, resulting in limited and unstandardized internal guardrails. So what happens when people start using AI chatbots for mental health support? A conversation with psychiatrist and researcher John Torous.
How Durham, North Carolina, Got Police Onboard with Unarmed Crisis Response
Durham sends unarmed mental health workers to 911 calls involving mental illness and addiction.
Understanding California’s Shift from Imminent Danger Standard to Medical Necessity
California has adopted a medical necessity standard: the medical director of state hospitals explains why
