“Technocracy’s ‘science of social engineering’ is taking a strange and dangerous twist with the invention of AI therapy bots that help humans with their psychological issues. As you confess your darkest secrets to Woebot, rest assured that they will stay in your file forever.” — Technocracy Editor
Amy Ellis Nutt of the liberal Washington Post has the story:
My therapist wanted to explain a few things during our first online session:
“I’m going to check in with you at random times. If you can’t respond straight away, don’t sweat it. Just come back to me when you’re ready. I’ll check in daily.”
“Daily?” I asked.
“Yup! It shouldn’t take longer than a couple minutes. Can you handle that?
“Yes, I can,” I answered.
There was a little more back-and-forth, all via Messenger, then this statement from my therapist:
“This might surprise you, but . . . I am a robot.”