Artificial intelligence (AI), in the form of chatbots, has many potential advantages over humans as therapists. Here are some.

1. It is available 24/7.
2. It is very fast in responding to a question or request.
3. It is free. However, some special therapist chatbots may have a fee.
4. The lack of human contact may make it more appealing to some individuals who have high levels of social anxiety or feelings of shame.
5. Accessing it requires no travel time or hassles.
6. There is no risk (I think) of countertransference 
7. There is no risk of sexual or other exploitation by the therapist. 
8. The chatbot may be viewed as objective/neutral by the client. 

There are many disadvantages too.

1. The chatbot may never complete an assessment of the client. An assessment could point to possible solutions for client problems.
2. The chatbot will miss nonverbal signs in the client. 
3. The chatbot cannot show genuine empathy. It may, however, make empathic statements based on the content of what the client says.
4. The human-human interaction/connection that can be healing may be absent. 
5. The chatbot cannot take any external action (such as calling for help) in the case of a client who is homicidal or suicidal.
6. Sessions may lack continuity from one day to the next. The chatbot may not be assessing whether the sessions are helping.

Both human and AI therapists have many elements in common. For instance, each might try hard to be helpful, but each could make a mistake or say something harmful. 

I am open to comments that describe additional advantages and disadvantages for chatbots as therapists. 

Photo by Fabian Irsara on Unsplash