AI, therapy and the people in your life
How is using AI for mental health different from self-help?
By Siri Bandagiriye · Self-help speaks to everyone at once. An AI companion responds to you, today, in your own words, and can remember what you said last week. It shares self-help's limits: it can't assess you or take responsibility for your care.
Self-help books and videos speak to everyone at once. An AI companion responds to you, today, in your own words. It can ask what you meant, remember what you said last week, and offer one practice that fits this moment.
It shares self-help's limits, though. It can't assess you, and it can't hold responsibility for your care.
Think of it as self-help that listens back.
What the research says
A large meta-analysis found guided online CBT for depression worked better than unguided self-help, especially for moderate to severe depression; for mild symptoms results were similar.1
A 2023 meta-analysis of 15 randomized trials found AI conversational agents reduced symptoms of depression and distress, but not overall psychological well-being.2
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.