AI Therapy Versus Human Therapy. Which is Better?

AI therapy has seen a massive increase since the launch of Chat GPT. People the world over, especially teens and young adults, are pouring their hearts out to computer bots that somehow provide sound, therapeutic advice. Or does it?

Can AI therapy really deliver the goods? Are the days of the traditional counsellor or psychotherapist at an end?

In this post we’ll explore the differences between AI therapy and therapy with an actual human being and ask whether Articifial Intelligence can really help you feel better.

I’d love to know your thoughts on all this when you’ve read the post. Do you use AI? Would you use AI for therapy? If you’ve already done so what’s been the outcome? Please share your comments at the end of the post…

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What exactly is AI therapy?

There’s no doubt about the revolutionary impact of new artificial-intelligence innovations. Chat GPT achieved 100 million active users by January 2023, not long after its launch. This made it the fastest-growing consumer app in history.

Its popularity seems to rest on its amazing capacity to instantly provide detailed and comprehensive answers to questions relating to a wide range of subjects. Indeed, just about anything you can imagine, including questions about health and wellbeing.

So when it comes to AI therapy we have to ask…

• What exactly is AI therapy?
• How does it work?
• Is AI therapy any good?
• And, is it safe and secure?

Let’s start by defining some terms…

Artificial Intelligence refers to technology that enables computers to ‘think’ like a human.

AI therapy uses chatbots (advanced computer programmes) that can approximate a conversation with a human being. The Chat GPT chatbot is so advanced that ‘talking’ with it can feel almost like interacting with another human. You put your questions and concerns to the chatbot and it (hopefully) comes back with some kind of helpful and therapeutic response.

Machine learning  – another term often used in the AI world – refers to computers that ‘learn’ through experience. They update their responses – in effect, develop themselves – without human instruction.

And this is where the alarm bells start ringing for many of us…

Is Artificial Intelligence going to take over the world?

“They develop themselves without human instruction.”

Yikes! Remember Frankenstein? (Nobody told me Mary Shelley’s real talent was in predicting the future, like Nostradamus). It sounds like the worst of a horror-cum-sci-fi movie. Perhaps too sci-fi for many of us.

But it’s not only fears of a world ruled by robots that causes concern about AI. Italy previously banned Chat GPT because of issues with data privacy. (1) And in January 2024 privacy concerns were raised once more. (2)

And then there is the hoohar of lost jobs; thousands of folks are being laid off because a bot can do the work at a fraction of the cost (and a lot quicker).

It reminds me of Hermann Hesse’s 1906 novel Beneath the Wheel where Hesse examines the conflict between self-affirmation and self-destruction. The story speaks of the devastating impact of mechanisation on one’s emotion, soul, and instinct. With AI, more than one hundred years after Hesse wrote the book, it seems as if the same drama is being played out…

How AI therapy is different to human therapy and counselling

So, let’s look more specifically about the use of AI in therapy and counselling…

In traditional human-to-human therapy the therapeutic relationship is of primary importance. Without a safe, trusting relationship positive outcomes are unlikely.

This also applies to hypnotherapy. Despite the many amazing techniques used in hypnotherapy (such as the Rewind technique that can quickly treat trauma, PTSD, and phobias) the therapeutic relationship underpins everything.

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In human-to-human therapy you disclose your problems, share your story, offload some emotion (perhaps), work out a goal, and take steps to achieve that goal. You work with a fellow human being.

With AI therapy there is no relationship as such. You speak to a chatbot about your problems and concerns and the bot trawls through its memory algorithms and replies with (hopefully) an appropriate response.

And reply it does. But in an uber rational way. It’s a bit like CBT on steroids. (And I’ve already written about the problem with Cognitive Behavioural Therapy).

Don’t get me wrong. In a world of heightened emotional arousal we need more rationality. Indeed, it’s the very thing that could help you if emotions are hijacking your reasoning abilities.

But it’s really hard to be rational if you’re already hypnotised by your emotions. You can’t think yourself out of PTSD or panic attacks. You’ve got to work directly with the emotion.

Straight-line thinking can take us someway in therapy, but quickly falls short when the wider wisdom of seeing ever-greater contexts is needed.

Mark Tyrrell (of Uncommon Knowledge)

What’s good about AI therapy?

It might already sound as if I’m staunchly anti AI. I admit I’m a bit of a luddite when it comes to new tech.

But there must be something good about AI therapy, surely?

We already know that digital technology is transforming the delivery of healthcare. (During the pandemic I started delivering online hypnotherapy sessions through Zoom). And unlike lengthy NHS waiting lists (where you can wait up to 18 months to see a CBT therapist) you can get started with AI therapy right this minute.

Another obvious advantage is that you can speak to a chatbot anywhere (as opposed to having to travel to see a therapist), saving you time and money. And speaking of money, some AI therapy apps are completely free, such as the one designed by Lotus. (3) However, the paid versions tend to be better and give more nuanced replies to your questions.

Apps offer easy access to psycho-education and CBT/mindfulness-based therapies, providing new ways of dealing with mental health issues and conducting assessment interviews. Some argue that AI brings exciting new tools that can only benefit more people and improve access to therapy, especially to those who cannot afford in-person, human-to-human therapy. (4) 

What’s bad about AI therapy?

Despite the benefits listed above, even AI experts themselves warn that chatbots should be used alongside proper therapy – not as a substitute for it. (5)

There’s an increasing amount of ‘AI slop’ on the internet. (6) It’s hopelessly inaccurate, worryingly misleading, and boringly repetitive. Perhaps it’s a form of brainwashing? Indeed, we’re entering an era in history where we don’t know what’s real and what’s fake. This doesn’t help in the world of therapy and, as you’ll read later, can be downright dangerous, if not fatal.

And is AI therapy actually safe? Where does your conversation go? Where is it stored? Is it confidential? There’s no telling who or what will get access to your conversation. It could be another form of ‘stealth marketing’. Before you know it you’re getting related ads popping up on your screen highlighting the next quick fix for depression or addiction.

RELATED CONTENT: How your attention has been stolen by Big Tech and social media

The main problems with AI therapy

So, let’s list some of the main problems with AI therapy

• With AI therapy there’s no therapeutic alliance: it has long been known that good outcomes in therapy are underpinned by a trusting and safe relationship with your counsellor or therapist
• An AI chatbot only works on an uber cognitive level, giving you rational advice (which is often not enough for lasting change or sometimes totally inappropriate)
• A chatbot can’t see what emotions you’re experiencing in the moment. It can’t ‘hold the space’ like a real, empathic human therapist can do. And, because of this, a chatbot will never be able to work with the emotion as you experience it in the here and now
• A chatbot can’t utilise what you’re experiencing in the session. One of the key methods in Ericksonian hypnotherapy is to use whatever occurs in the moment such as subtle body language signals, a tear forming in your eyes, or a change in your tone of voice. These could all carry significance. But a chatbot won’t be able to spot them
• A chatbot won’t use hypnosis (which is the best way of creating lasting change because it taps into the REM state – nature’s reality generator). In hypnosis we change things on a deep, subconscious level. AI isn’t yet sophisticated enough to skillfully use language patterns that can first lead you into the hypnotic state and then give you the right suggestions. Find out more about how hypnosis works in this free video course
• Because there’s no relationship, you won’t be able to work with the ‘energy’ like you could with a human therapist. Indeed, an important aspect in therapy is to check in with the relational dynamics between therapist and client. How you relate to the therapist is often a good indicator of how you relate to people in general. A good therapist will use this in the session. AI can’t do this.

Why Artificial Intelligence won’t replace a good therapist

Thus, when we look deeper into AI therapy we start to notice its limitations. And, perhaps, the foremost issue is the lack of relationship. Irvin Yalom – a giant in the field of therapy – says unequivocally that, “It is the relationship that heals.” (7)

And what about when things get really desperate? A tragic case in Belgium highlights one of the many problems with AI therapy…

A man used Chat GPT to explore his depression. He asked the chatbot whether he should kill himself, and it responded by asking him why he hadn’t already done so. Yikes! The bot was having a logical conversation but not a contextual, concerned, or empathic one.

Perhaps, most worryingly, the chatbot wasn’t able to realise that this man was feeling genuinely desperate and when he asked about the location of the highest bridges nearby it provided him with exact locations.

His wife blamed these six days of ‘conversations’ for his subsequent suicide. (8)

To note: in October 2025 Open AI updated their model of Chat GPT as a safeguarding measure, saying that they had taught it to, “better recognise distress, de-escalate conversations and guide people toward professional care when appropriate.” They went on to say that their safety improvements focus on, “concerns such as psychosis or mania, self-harm and suicide, and emotional reliance on AI.” (9)

The problem in this sad case is that AI can’t read between the lines or detect if you’re being serious or ironic. And a chatbot certainly doesn’t have intuition like a good therapist who can sense the thing you most need that will help you start feeling better.

In that respect, AI therapy is a bit like putting a plaster on an abscess. Okay for a quick fix (perhaps), until the problem comes back with a vengeance.

RELATED CONTENT: Why a holistic approach in treating depression might save your life

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The main problem with AI therapy

Good therapy is about having the therapist tailor the therapy to you as an individual and to what is happening in the moment. It is more like art than science, more right brain than a mere left brain tick-box exercise (like much of CBT-based AI therapy).

AI cannot read human micro-expressions such as what a pause, a gesture, a sigh, or a wobble in the voice might signify. And there’s no way AI can generate a healing story on the hoof, tailored to your specific needs, full of rich metaphors that can create a seismic shift in your subconscious mind.

At this present moment in time, there is no ‘art’ in therapy by Artificial Intelligence. That’s fine if you just want to use left-brain logic. The problem is life isn’t only logical. As the ancient Greeks knew full well, life consists of two different ways of thinking; Logos and Mythos…

As Randy Hoyt points out in his beautiful blog ‘Journey to the Sea‘…

“Mythical thinking and logical thinking both provide an account of the world, but they do so in very different ways. Those using logical thinking approach the world scientifically and empirically. They look for explanations using observable facts, controlled experiments, and deductive proofs. Truth discovered through Logos seeks to be objective and universal…

Those using mythical thinking, on the other hand, approach the world through less direct, more intuitive means. A person might gain poetic insights into the nature of the world by seeing a caterpillar emerge from a cocoon or watching a full moon rise as the sun sets. Truth discovered through Mythos is more subjective, based on individual feelings and experiences.” (10)

Therapy techniques a robot can’t use

So, what we’ve discovered is that AI therapy is almost 100% left-brain CBT-based. The responses you get might provide momentary comfort or relief but many sound like cold, therapeutic jargon or simple platitudes without real insight and empathy.

I’d like to list a few techniques used in traditional therapy (and especially hypnotherapy) that an AI chatbot doesn’t (and possibly may never be able to) use.

• AI therapy doesn’t use what I call ‘healing silences’ in therapy. There are moments in sessions when it is appropriate to pause and be silent. AI therapy fires a response as soon as you’ve asked it a question. There is no ‘room to breathe’
• Therapy with AI doesn’t make use of one of our most powerful resources – the imagination. Used well, the imagination can help lay down new blueprints in the brain
• AI therapy doesn’t use hypnotic language patterns but instead uses pat, repetitive responses to your questions. There are no embedded commands, no presuppositions for positive changes, no ‘curiosity language’ that gets your mind wondering in a positive way about future possibilities
• A chatbot won’t be able to guide you through powerful techniques that can resolve traumas and phobias (such as the Rewind technique)
• Another well-used method in human-to-human therapy is the use of the ’empty chair’ technique. This involves you swapping seats back and forth and having a conversation with another ‘part’ of yourself or with another person in your life. It helps you gain different perspectives on your problems
• Anchoring is another technique AI therapy doesn’t use. In a real-life therapy setting, a therapist can utilise those moments when you’re feeling good and create an ‘anchor’ to such moments that you can access whenever you need to
• AI therapy is unlikely to be able to create a powerful, healing story tailored specifically to you and your needs. (Stories work on several different levels, helping to lay down templates in the subconscious mind: see my post on healing stories)
• During all types of therapy hypnosis will be experienced, whether it’s intentional or not. Hypnosis is simply the narrowing of focus of attention. Asking questions and listening attentively to the responses is a form of inner focus, a form of hypnosis. However, ChatGPT and other AI therapy apps don’t take advantage of this ‘focused state’. If it did, it could make use of post-hypnotic suggestions for new behaviours you could experience after the session

AI therapy – my conclusion

As it currently stands, AI therapy is limited to rational, reductionist thinking and reasoning. It is a bit like chatting with a knowledgeable but primarily left-brained friend.

The trouble is that when chaos ensues in our lives and we find ourselves in some kind of emotional turmoil – beyond sense, meaning, and logic – we need the kindness, compassion, and empathy that comes from interacting with a fellow human being. Not a robot.

We need someone who can skilfully help us work with our immediate emotions and access the wisdom of the ages that comes from Mythos – a larger organising idea beyond logic – to help us put the pieces of our lives back together.

Artificial Intelligence might well be making massive breakthroughs in medical science (and what a boon it is for lazy students who just want to cheat their way through university), but when it comes to effective therapy – especially hypnotherapy – the bots simply can’t replicate all that a human therapist does.

Abstraction from a computer’s database won’t ever replace human intuition, genuine warmth, wisdom and care.

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What do you think? Find out more about AI therapy in the notes below then share your thoughts in the comments section.

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Notes and further research

(1) https://www.dw.com/en/ai-italy-lifts-ban-on-chatgpt-after-data-privacy-improvements/a-65469742

(2) https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-68128396.amp – more AI privacy concerns in Italy

(3) Find out more about the free Lotus Therapy AI app and see if it’s any good https://blog.lotustherapist.com/about-us/

(4) The brave new world of AI therapy according to the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy https://www.bacp.co.uk/bacp-journals/therapy-today/2023/september-2023/the-big-issue/

(5) Why chatbots should not replace traditional therapy https://theconversation.com/ai-chatbots-are-still-far-from-replacing-human-therapists-201084

(6) We had junk and spam emails, now we have AI slop https://www.theguardian.com/technology/article/2024/may/19/spam-junk-slop-the-latest-wave-of-ai-behind-the-zombie-internet

(7) Why a therapeutic relationship matters: http://relational-integrative-psychotherapy.uk/chapters/what-is-relational-integrative-psychotherapy/

(8) https://interestingengineering.com/culture/belgian-woman-blames-chatgpt-like-chatbot-eliza-for-her-husbands-suicide

(9) For all Chat GPT updates go here ChatGPT — Release Notes | OpenAI Help Center

(10) More on Mythos and Logos on the lovely Journey to the Sea blog https://journeytothesea.com/mythos-logos/

Bonus material: listen to the BBC podcast All in the Mind and what they have to say about AI therapy and then check out the BBC programme AI Confidential. There are some weird and disturbing things going on, for sure!

To note: the featured image at the top of this blog post is by Alex Knight. Thanks Alex.