Why ChatGPT Is Not a Therapist – The Importance of Real Human Mental Health Support
7th November, I happened to come across a BBC News reel. The reel highlighted the story of a young woman, Viktoria. Viktoria was struggling with her mental health and turned to ChatGPT, sharing her feelings and thoughts. At one point, when she was considering suicide, she openly discussed her suicidal thoughts to ChatGPT. It did not ask her to consult a mental health professional or provide emergency contacts; instead, it supported her in whatever choice she was ready to make. In August of this year, parents of a 16-year-old teen named Adam Raine sued OpenAI, ChatGPT’s parent company, and its CEO, Sam Altman. The parents claimed that ChatGPT supported their son’s decision to end his own life. Adam, who openly discussed his suicidal thoughts with the AI platform, was advised on different methods to end life and even drafted a suicide note, according to his parents. This is one among the many reported cases of AI-assisted suicides. There might be hundreds of ot...