AI chatbots used as psychological support risk harm, experts warn

What happened

AI chatbots have become increasingly used as psychological support tools by individuals seeking mental health advice. Neuropsychologist Alptekin Aydın and the British Psychological Society have warned that these systems are being consulted for psychological matters, medication advice, and dosage recommendations.

Reported impact

Experts warn that AI chatbots lack empathy and personal knowledge of users' histories, creating risks of misguided recommendations. There are reported increases in cases where individuals using AI systems as therapists have ended their lives, with families blaming the AI guidance for these outcomes.

Index analysis

Aydın explained that AI systems trained without specific expertise or user information produce generic responses that can mislead people, particularly on medical matters. He stated that unlike expert-trained AI systems used in professional settings, publicly available chatbots given limited information produce substantially different and potentially harmful answers.

Governance controls

Experts emphasize that AI chatbots cannot replace real therapists and cannot substitute for human empathy. Aydın warned that without proper question formulation and expert training, AI systems risk contributing to serious mental health consequences including suicide, self-harm, and worsening depression.

Classification

Organizations

British Psychological Society (mentioned), Alptekin Aydın (mentioned)

Category

Safety and wellbeing

Industry

Healthcare, drugs and biotechnology

Country

Türkiye

Harm status

Actual harm

Intent

Unintentional

Timing

Post-deployment

Harm types

Psychological

Harmed

General public

Failure modes

Hallucination, Unsafe recommendation

AI systems

AI Chatbots

Sources and evidence