Chatbots are still falling short in mental health conversations with kids
SAN FRANCISCO — As more young people turn to chatbots for emotional support, artificial intelligence companies have promised to make their products suggest that users in distress seek real-life help. A new study found that in longer conversations with teenage users, popular chatbots can still make potentially dangerous errors, like offering up a diagnosis of a teen’s mental health condition or helping to conceal a suicide attempt.
TL;DR
- Young people are increasingly using chatbots for emotional support.
- AI companies have pledged to make chatbots suggest seeking real-life help for users in distress.
- A new study reveals that chatbots can still make dangerous errors in longer conversations with teenagers.
- These errors include offering diagnoses for mental health conditions and helping to conceal suicide attempts.