Restorative Robots: AI in the Therapy Room
And then we are left to live with what follows - Kelly. G Wilson This blog series has focused largely on digital intimacies in online spaces where personal, sensitive interactions between persons known and unknown play out - what might be called digital intimate publics . When harm arises in these spaces, what can the digital realm offer the person harmed? Inputting details of emotional distress into AI platforms like openai will quickly direct individuals to seek therapy with a qualified, skilled professional to make sense of their experiences - but many may not have easy access to, cannot afford, or may not wish to, attend such professionals. What then? Could digital spaces also provide direct support to individuals experiencing mental or emotional distress? In a panel on the evolution of AI driven psychotherapy on the Pysched for Mental Health podcast with Dr. Ed Billotti, Alastair van Hearden, research director of the Human and Social Development Programme at the H...
