Ai: Irl

Which is a better therapist, an AI app or a human? According to two recent studies, an app is just as good and in some cases better than a human therapist. The app is called Woebot, a friendly AI powered chatbot that delivers cognitive behavioral therapy at scale to make such therapy much more accessible. In our latest AI:IRL podcast, we spoke with Woebot CEO and Co-Founder Alison Darcy, a clinical research psychologist out of Stanford University about why the app works so well. Woebot solves the issue of accessibility in three ways.   By being an app, it is always in your pocket and always available, it lowers the barrier to entry. You can get help the moment you need it. Unlike a human, Woebot can scale to serve many more people 24/7 for a few pennies worth of additional server space. It reduces stigma. The app moves people toward the idea that everybody has mental health and everybody must tend to it regularly. Think of it less as therapy, and more like the very popular meditation and brain-training apps.