AI is everywhere
now. As part of that, more and more people are turning
to chatbots to talk about their emotions and mental
health. But since AI bots haven't actually been
properly trained in therapeutic interventions, this
is essentially a trainwreck waiting to happen. That's especially true in
crisis or life-and-death situations, which AI cannot be
trusted to handle.
Luckily, individual
U.S. states are taking action to protect the public —
starting in Illinois. The governor there, JB Pritzker,
approved the first law in the country to regulate how
AI can be used when it comes to mental health
services.
As Illinois State Representative Bob
Morgan said, "We have already heard the horror stories
when artificial intelligence pretends to be a licensed
therapist. Individuals in crisis unknowingly turned to
AI for help and were pushed toward dangerous, even
lethal, behaviors."
That's why state lawmakers
unanimously passed the Wellness and Oversight for
Psychological Resources Act, showing incredible
bipartisan agreement. This act ensures that only
licensed, trained, vetted professionals can offer
psychotherapy services — banning AI chatbots or similar
tools from exclusively fulfilling that role on their
own.
Since Trump announced his AI Action Plan
that would seek to ban any U.S. state from regulating
AI for 10 years, it's even more important that
states act quickly to regulate important, life-saving
professions like mental health while they still
can.
Sign the petition to
demand that U.S. states take action to protect their
residents' safety and well-being by ensuring mental
health care is handled by trained, licensed, credible
experts!
