In a time when you can outsource your grocery list, travel plans and even your dating profile to artificial intelligence, it was probably only a matter of time before someone asked: Can it replace your therapist, too?
According to a new study published in PLOS Mental Health, the answer might be yes — at least when it comes to couples counseling. Researchers had 830 participants engage in simulated therapy sessions with either a licensed professional or ChatGPT. Then they rated the experience. The winner? The chatbot.
Participants said ChatGPT was more empathetic, more culturally sensitive and better at understanding their problems than actual professionals. Even more telling, responses believed to be written by a human were rated higher — even when they were generated by AI. Human responses that were misattributed to ChatGPT received the lowest marks.
One possible explanation: ChatGPT is more verbose than real therapists. The AI relies heavily on nouns and adjectives, offering longer, more detailed replies. According to the researchers, that extra context may have helped participants feel more understood, even if the empathy wasn’t exactly coming from a human heart.
Entrepreneurs have tried to monetize this, too. Last year, Pieter Levels launched TherapistAI, a $9.99/month service offering AI-powered therapy. The backlash was swift, but that’s not why he shut it down.
“People just use ChatGPT or Claude for their life coach,” he explained. “That works well enough.”
And that may be the most unsettling part. For a growing number of people, “well enough” is all they need. With rising healthcare costs and long waitlists for mental health services, even imperfect advice feels better than nothing.
Still, researchers warn that AI therapy is far from safe in unsupervised settings. Chatbots aren’t equipped to handle topics like trauma or self-harm. And despite recent updates to AI safety protocols, the technology is still unpredictable in sensitive scenarios.
At best, AI might be a helpful tool. But at worst, it could be a dangerously convincing substitute for human care — one people are already trusting with their most personal wounds.
