AI, therapy and the people in your life
Why would I use an AI app for depression when I could text a friend?
By Siri Bandagiriye · If you can text a friend, do. Human connection reduces loneliness in ways AI doesn't. An app helps when it's 3am, your friend is busy, or you don't have the words yet. Use it to find the words, then send the text.
If you can text a friend, text the friend. A 2026 trial found that two weeks of daily chats with another person reduced loneliness, while chats with a supportive chatbot did not.
But real life is messier. It's 3am. Your friend has their own troubles. You don't want to be a burden, or you don't yet have the words. Saati can be a place to find those words first. Then, I hope, you send the text.
And if you're living with depression, please also have a professional in your corner.
What the research says
Statistics Canada found nearly 1 in 4 (23%) youth aged 15 to 24 said they always or often felt lonely in 2021.2
The APA warns that for socially isolated people, a chatbot that is always available can become an unhealthy substitute for human connection.3
Written by Siri Bandagiriye
I've been a Buddhist monk and mindfulness teacher for 30 years, and for six years a chaplain with Correctional Service Canada, sitting with people in crisis. I built Saati in Halifax as a companion for the ordinary hard days. If you'd like to see what it's like, it's free to try.