Whispering Machines: Potential Mental Health Risks of AI Chatbots

Abstract

Distinguished colleagues, fellow psychiatrists, and members of our profession:
Today, we stand at an extraordinary precipice in medicine. The pace at which this technology is diffusing in daily life, and a meaningful change is descending upon the very fabric of human cognition, has perhaps never before been observed. Something that began as an experimental computational project has now become ubiquitous, embedded in our devices, search engines, messaging platforms, our daily language, and increasingly, the emotional lives of our patients.