Therapy shock: Groundbreaking Mental Health Chatbot to Shut Down

A pioneering AI therapy chatbot is scheduled to close on June 30, with experts suggesting that the shutdown reflects the difficulties of providing effective mental health care and managing safety concerns in the digital realm.

Woebot: innovation and recognition in digital therapy

Woebot, first introduced in 2017 as a promising “future of therapy” solution during a time when in-person mental health services were increasingly scarce worldwide, had raised millions in funding. In 2021, it earned the US Food and Drug Administration’s Breakthrough Device Designation for its tailored postpartum depression program WB001, which combined cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and psychotherapy through its chatbot interface.

Developed by Woebot Health, the service offered a free chatbot alongside specialized tools for teenagers and options to use it either alongside traditional therapy or independently.TIME magazine recognized the app’s creator and clinical psychologist, Alison Darcy, in 2023 as one of the top 100 influential figures in AI.

Darcy described Woebot as “an emotional assistant that supports you during difficult times and always has your best interest in mind.”

The developers designed the app to bridge gaps where conventional therapy falls short—supporting people on waiting lists or between appointments—and research showed it effectively eased anxiety and depression symptoms when users followed the intended guidelines.

Woebot Health notified users about the closure via email, offering them the option to download their chat histories and assuring them that their data privacy would be maintained.

Core challenges of AI-delivered therapy

Despite careful safety measures and clinical oversight, Woebot’s closure highlights core challenges in delivering mental health care through AI.

Researchers writing in a 2023 Digital Health article observed, “Chatbots may offer benefits for mental health, but also introduce risks and ethical dilemmas,” including concerns over replacing human experts, ensuring sufficient evidence, protecting data, and managing crime disclosures.

Recent studies suggest chatbots like ChatGPT might even deepen isolation for some users. However, others show growing reliance on AI tools like ChatGPT and Claude for mental health support and continuous digital coaching.

Users in 120 countries have interacted with Woebot over two million times since its launch. It was the first chatbot of its kind, and research found that many users developed real emotional bonds with their digital mental health companion.

A 2021 study stated, “Our findings challenge the belief that only human therapists can form genuine therapeutic relationships, showing digital therapeutics can do so as well.”

Having raised $123 million in funding to date, Woebot Health has not yet publicly explained the reasons behind the app’s shutdown, leaving the decision’s specifics unclear.

Read the original article on: New Atlas

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