Do We Dare Use Generative AI for Mental Health?
Abstract
The mental-health app Woebot launched in 2017, back when “chatbot” wasn't a familiar term and someone seeking a therapist could only imagine talking to a human being. Woebot was something exciting and new: a way for people to get on-demand mental-health support in the form of a responsive, empathic, AI-powered chatbot. Users found that the friendly robot avatar checked in on them every day, kept track of their progress, and was always available to talk something through. ¶ Today, the situation is vastly different. Demand for mental-health services has surged while the supply of clinicians has stagnated. There are thousands of apps that offer automated support for mental health and wellness. And ChatGPT has helped millions of people experiment with conversational AI. ¶ But even as the world has become fascinated with generative AI, people have also seen its downsides. As a company that relies on conversation, Woebot Health had to decide whether generative AI could make Woebot a better tool, or whether the technology was too dangerous to incorporate into our product. ¶ Woebot is designed to have structured conversations through which it delivers evidence-based tools inspired by cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), a technique that aims to change behaviors and feelings. Throughout its history, Woebot Health has used technology from a subdiscipline of AI known as natural-language processing (NLP). The company has used AI artfully and by design—Woebot uses NLP only in the service o…
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AI mental health tools can foster self-consciousness through structured prompts otherwise inaccessible to many users.
“AI mental health tools can foster self-consciousness through structured prompts otherwise inaccessible to many users [24]”
From Encountering Generative AI: Narrative Self-Formation and Technologies of the Self Among Young Adults (2026) · cites this paper as [24]
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Teo, Z. L., Thirunavukarasu, A. J., Elangovan, K., Cheng, H., Moova, P., Soetikno, B., Nielsen, C., Pollreisz, A., Ting, D. S. J., Morris, R. J. T., et al. (2025) · Nature Medicine · doi:10.1038/s41591-025-03983-2 · Cited by 119 · see citing works
The algorithmic self: how AI is reshaping human identity, introspection, and agency
Joseph, J. (2025) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1645795 · Cited by 63 · see citing works
Kollig, F., Pater, J. A., Nova, F. F., & Fiesler, C. L. (2025) · CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems · doi:10.1145/3706598.3713322 · Cited by 13 · see citing works
Mishra, S. K., Hamadou, M., Gurung, K., Subba, A., Mukhia, P., Chhetri, T., Roy, A., Rai, P., & Georrge, J. J. (2026) · Archives of Computational Methods in Engineering · doi:10.1007/s11831-026-10617-4 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
Encountering Generative AI: Narrative Self-Formation and Technologies of the Self Among Young Adults
Kvietkute, D., & Ness, I. J. (2026) · Societies · doi:10.3390/soc16010026 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
“…carries both productive potential and significant risks: AI mental health tools can foster self-consciousness through structured prompts otherwise inaccessible to many users [24], yet excessive reliance may result in cognitive disengagement correlating with reduced critical thinking [25].”
Song, X., Song, H., Gao, B., Gao, Q., Li, W., Xu, L., & Lu, Z. (2025) · CHI Conference Extended Abstracts on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI EA) · doi:10.1145/3706599.3720026 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
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Künstliche Intelligenz in der Psychotherapie
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Exploring the Role of Generative AI in Supporting Physical and Mental Health Among Students
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Pacing the Cure: A Psychophysiological Analysis of User Responses to GAI Conversational Patterns
Song, X., Lu, Z., Zhang, Y., Gao, B., Song, H., Shen, H., Gao, Q., & Li, W. (2026) · International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction · doi:10.1080/10447318.2026.2649395
ACE-GoT: Affective and Contextual Expansion via Graph-of-Thought for Emotional Support Conversations
Xue, C.-S., Chen, H.-Y., Wu, C., & Chen, C. (2026) · IEEE Access · doi:10.1109/access.2026.3720767
Yang, H., Chang, F., Liu, Z., Zhang, W., & Cai, J. (2026) · Technology in Society · doi:10.1016/j.techsoc.2026.103535
PULSE8: A ChatGPT-Driven Personalized Wellness App
Ramachandran, S., Spagnolo, A. B., Swarbrick, M. A., & Haghani, S. (2026) · IEEE Symposium on Computers and Communications (ISCC) · doi:10.1109/iscc70364.2026.11739935
- Authors
- Sackett, C., Harper, D., & Pavez, A.
- Venue
- IEEE Spectrum
- Published
- 2024-06
- Volume
- 61
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- 42-47
- ISSN
- 0018-9235 (ISSN-L)
- 1939-9340
- OpenAlex
- W4399394016
- Cited by
- 13
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 7 · 2025: 6
- FWCI
- 5.18
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Licence
- Locations
- IEEE Spectrum (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Applied Psychology › Digital Mental Health Interventions
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Health Informatics › Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare and Education
- Social Sciences › Safety Research › Ethics and Social Impacts of AI
- Keywords
- generative AI, mental health, Woebot, chatbots, conversational AI, cognitive behavioral therapy, natural language processing, mental health apps, ChatGPT, clinician shortage, AI ethics
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