> I’m less convinced of the good of an AI therapist. Seems too healthcare-y for these current buggy messes. But if somebody is aided by having a digital shoulde

> I’m less convinced of the good of an AI therapist. Seems too healthcare-y for these current buggy messes. But if somebody is aided by having a digital shoulder to cry on… eh, ok, why not? Medium-term that may be the problem. The social aspect of having another person "see you" is important in therapy. But on the immediate term, LLMs are a huge positive in this space. Professional therapy is stupidly expensive in terms of time and money, and makes it unavailable to majority of people, even those rather well-off. And then there's availability, which, beyond what the article discussed, matters also because many people have problems that don't fit well with typical 1h sessions 2-4 times a month. LLMs let one have a 2+h therapy sessions every day at random hours for as long it takes for one to unburden themselves completely; something that's neither available nor affordable for most people.