Who do you turn to when panic strikes in the middle of the night — and can AI help? Psychologist Alison Darcy shares the vision behind Woebot, a mental health chatbot designed to support people in tough moments, especially when no one else is around. In conversation with author and podcaster Kelly Corrigan, Darcy explores what we should expect and demand from ethically designed, psychological AIs. (Recorded at TED2025 on April 10, 2025)
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@aa1418-t7l
May 19, 2025 at 5:36 pm
The exact meaning of have no idea about psychotherapy
@w1-w2-w3
May 19, 2025 at 5:51 pm
People said AI doesn’t have the emotion and understanding about it. Now AI is the one who helping people’s mental health??? How ironic.
@HK-xk8zx
May 19, 2025 at 6:19 pm
3살때 자폐진단을 받고 22세가 된 아들이 있습니다. 아직도 소통하려면 왼쪽, 오른쪽등 여러번 얘기를 해야하는데 AI 로봇이 저보다 더 잘 가르키고 소통할 수도 있겠다는 생각이 듭니다. 집에 돌아와서도 루틴을 함께 하고 저녁식사등도 함께하고 제가 없을때도 함께 해 줄수 있을거라는 희망이 생기네요.
@francesbernard2445
May 19, 2025 at 6:23 pm
I could get kicked out of university if caught using any kind of Chatbot. So no thanks. I refuse to download grammarly too.
@rickyspanish4792
May 19, 2025 at 7:06 pm
No.
@LaWinday
May 19, 2025 at 7:26 pm
No. Just no.
@DrDandridge
May 19, 2025 at 7:42 pm
There is so much to unpack here. 1. NOTHING can replace human therapy! 2. Human therapy can mess people up if the therapist is not mentally clear and in a good place.
@TechFrontiers-eg6wz
May 20, 2025 at 6:49 am
you are mistaken, millions around the world have zero, or very little, access to human therapies. So AI is replacing zero human therapists, there is more than enough need for
both, and some people will only use a human
@DrDandridge
May 19, 2025 at 7:51 pm
Is it just me or does the host remind you of Sarah Palin? 😂
@portableregulationstudio
May 19, 2025 at 8:19 pm
You don’t necessarily need a mental health-specific bot; it’s more important for your AI assistant to understand your full story. Having a separate model just for mental health risks repetition and fragmentation. Instead, what’s really needed is AI-assisted therapy support for those new or inexperienced with therapy. This way, the AI can track patterns, help organize thoughts, and provide the continuous data necessary to monitor and support healing. Therapists who start learning this so they can add it to their practice are going to prevail.
@BusinessTacticsDaily
May 19, 2025 at 8:58 pm
Woebot is truly helpful—especially at 2AM when no one’s around. But if an AI makes us feel more “heard” than real people do, maybe there’s a deeper issue in how we connect? 🤖❤ What do you think?
@Portion2131
May 19, 2025 at 10:48 pm
Controlling the mind as close as Ai can get.
Beware of all Technology in you’re lives.
@MorganBergen
May 19, 2025 at 10:58 pm
on the faq on their website it says that they’re retiring Woebot on Monday June 30th 2025
@Xylomag
May 20, 2025 at 2:50 pm
Probably will bring a generative AI Woebot
@Prometheus_43
May 19, 2025 at 11:19 pm
Wow, we are natural creatures of the natural world and most of our discontent can be atrrtibuted to our disconnection with the natural world. So this ‘researcher” offers another artificial solution to a natural problem….hmmm interesting.
Our capacity for self delusion is even greater than we think!
@iPodFayne
May 19, 2025 at 11:52 pm
Getting real tired of TED’s obsession with selling AI…
@briannaf93
May 20, 2025 at 12:06 am
Study about AI in 2015 ?!?! 2:15
@123owly
May 20, 2025 at 12:19 am
Just a quick reminder to all the panickers in the audience:
Very few people on this planet can afford a therapist, let alone a good one. Yes, we do need to make societal changes to make it more accessible, but unless you know how to make it happen tomorrow, there are people across the world right now struggling that your future solutions wont help. Their choice is not therapist vs ai. Their choice is nothing vs ai. Ai is worse than a human therapist, but better than nothing.
@abemore
May 20, 2025 at 2:34 am
To access Woebot, you need an access code provided through a healthcare provider, employer, or another Woebot Health partner. 😢
@vidskipperai
May 20, 2025 at 2:57 am
*_TIMESTAMPS_* & Summary (by *VidSkipper AI* ): Woebot is an AI-driven mental health tool designed to provide support and ask the right questions at any time of day, helping individuals develop their own resources, manage emotions, and encourage real-life interactions while ensuring the technology serves human well-being.
0:04 🤖 The Genesis of Woebot
• 🤖 Woebot was created to address the increasing need for mental health support, especially outside of clinic hours.
• 🕒 The average Woebot interaction lasts about 6.5 minutes, with most conversations occurring between 2 and 5 am.
• 🔒 Woebot is rules-based and scripted by clinical psychologists, ensuring safe and predictable responses.
1:57 🎭 AI Advantages in Mental Health
• 🎭 Generative AI enhances role-playing capabilities, leveraging AI’s strengths in areas where humans may struggle.
• 🗣️ People often disclose more to AI than to humans, particularly regarding stigmatized topics.
• ⚖️ AI offers a non-judgmental space, eliminating concerns about personal appearance and perception.
3:21 💰 Concerns and Design Objectives
• 💰 Key concerns about AI therapy include price, data privacy, control over AI responses, and potential for over-reliance.
• 🛡️ It’s crucial that AI is designed to promote human well-being, advancement, individuation, and independence.
• 🧩 AI should help users recognize that perfection is an illusion, celebrating the imperfections that make us human.
5:01 🤝 Distribution and Purpose
• 🤝 Woebot is distributed in partnership with health systems, focusing on short encounters to facilitate skill development and return users to their lives.
• 🚫 The design avoids addiction by not aiming for prolonged engagement and focusing on incentives aligned with human service.
• 🌱 AI’s role is to ask the right questions, helping individuals develop their own resources and shift their mindset.
7:38 🗣️ IRL Interactions & Red Lines
• 🗣️ Woebot encourages users to engage in real-life interactions, addressing avoidance and promoting human connections.
• ✅ Accountability is a favored feature, with Woebot following up on users’ commitments to speak with others.
• 🚫 Strict red lines are in place, prohibiting advice-giving, diagnosis, data sharing, and flirting to maintain clarity and purpose.
9:02 📈 Innovation in Psychotherapy
• 📈 Psychotherapy innovation is lacking, as anxiety and depression rates continue to rise despite technological advancements.
• 🌐 A World Health Organization study found that 20% of high schoolers have seriously considered suicide, indicating worsening mental health.
• 🛠️ AI tools should supplement human therapists, expanding access to mental health support and providing assistance in daily life.
11:02 🚀 The Future of AI Therapy
• 🚀 The future involves leveraging AI’s unique capabilities, creating novel therapeutic approaches specific to the technology.
• 👨⚕️ It is important to intentionally develop AI with consideration for unintended consequences and monitoring positive directions.
• 🤝 Ultimately, technology should serve humanity, ensuring that AI enhances human betterment and works in service of human needs.
** Generated using ✨ *_VidSkipper AI_* Chrome Extension
@strixcz
May 20, 2025 at 5:38 am
Most mental health issues have to do (directly or indirectly) with the person’s innability to communicate and/or maintain healthy relationships with other PEOPLE. Trying to “solve” this with a machine that allows these people to stay closed in their shell while giving them a false feeling of “making progress” is one of the most stupid ideas I’ve heard in a while… Please just stop this BS.
@cholm8070
May 20, 2025 at 7:53 am
Love watching everything about ted speakers watching from 🇵🇬 PNG
@내금니돌려주세요
May 20, 2025 at 8:56 am
5:53 Peak
@eric_schaaf
May 20, 2025 at 9:00 am
Even using an AI like Gemini to identify local (and often free) counseling resources based on your needs is an amazing start! I tried this for my mother-in-law who is struggling with loss, and it was immensely helpful.
@harshmadhushanka8042
May 20, 2025 at 9:57 am
How we can give permission to AI to make decisions on human mental health in a situation still we didn’t find even what is mind scientifically? This is worthless. If you want to understand what is the mind and mental health find out eastern meditation techniques. Very useful. Otherwise we think neurone functions = thinking. That is very wrong.
@Zerodero
May 20, 2025 at 2:30 pm
Short answer: No
Long answer: Cool so I can trade my emotional problems in for destroying the earth because AI is a “solution” to all our problems of course… amazing AI-pilled Ted BS par for the course
@kingssman2
May 20, 2025 at 9:08 pm
I used an AI to roleplay as various academics in giving their answers. Some of them cut out out the default “give pleasing answers only” that AI generally defaults to. Better suited for idea brainstorming and shouldn’t be used in replacement of a real trained professional.
@bidossessi
May 20, 2025 at 10:32 pm
Therapy is doing what friends are supposed to be for. It is perfectly logical that AI would supplant therapists in this next step to the commodification of human connection.
@DetPrep
May 21, 2025 at 7:07 pm
Am I the only one that feels strangely drawned to this smart woman?