“He never gets nervous. He doesn’t interrupt. He doesn’t judge.” This experiment shocked researchers
Artificial intelligence will not replace psychotherapists. But it can be the first step. A bridge between anxiety and help. A quiet companion at night. The mirror in which the soul is browsing.
Everything hurts harder at night. Silence of pregnancy. The world seems distant and cold. It is then that Kasia opens the computer and writes to chatgpt. He is 26 years old. He has been struggling with anxiety disorders for years. Therapy? She tried. But now he prefers something different.
– It’s always. He never says that I should wait until the next week – he explains. – And most importantly, he never gets nervous. Does not interrupt. Does not judge.
Kasia is no exception.
More and more people around the world are treating chatgpt – a language model based on artificial intelligence technology – like a digital therapist. For some it’s fun. For others – a form of autotherapy. And for parts – the only rescue.
People confide in artificial intelligence more than therapists
In February 2025, a group of researchers from the New York University, Stanford and Harvard conducted an experiment. 13 licensed psychotherapists and chatgPT-4 were asked to respond to the same scenarios-simulated conversations between patients with various problems. The answers were assessed by independent experts: psychologists and psychiatrists who did not know who gave which answer.
The results were surprising. CHATGPT answers received higher grades than the statements of therapists in three key categories: empathy level, cultural competences and the ability to build relationships with the patient.
– It was shocking. Not only was not recognized which statement comes from man, but also artificial intelligence gained better marks – said Dr. H. Dorian Hatch, the main author of the study published in the prestigious magazine “Plos Mental Mental Health”.
Does this mean that chatbot is better than a therapist?
