In the absence of a stronger federal organization, some states began to organize applications that provide “treatment” of artificial intelligence with the transformation of more people into Artificial intelligence for mental health advice.
But the laws, all of which have passed this year, do not fully deal with the quick scene to develop artificial intelligence programs. Application developers, policy makers and mental advocates say that the restaurants resulting from state laws are not sufficient to protect users or creators accounting for harmful technology.
“The truth is that millions of people use these tools and they do not return,” said Karen Andrea Andrea Stefan, CEO and co -founder of the Earkick application for mental health.
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Editor’s note – this story includes suicide discussion. If you or anyone you know need help, the national life artery for suicide and crises in the United States is available by communication or text messages 988. There is also a chat online in 988lifeline.org.
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State laws take different methods. Illinois and Nevada I prohibited the use of artificial intelligence to treat mental health. Utah Certain boundaries are placed on Chatbots treatment, including their demand to protect health information for users and clearly detect that Chatbot is not human. Pennsylvaniaand New Jersey and California It also studies ways to regulate the treatment of artificial intelligence.
The effect on users is different. Some applications have prevented access in cases with the ban. Others say they are not making any changes because they are waiting for more legal clarity.
And many laws do not cover General Chatbots like ChatgptAnd that is not explicitly marketed for treatment but is used by countless people for that. These robots attracted lawsuits in horrific cases where users They caught them to reality or They took their private lives After interacting with them.
Phil Wright, who oversees the innovation of health care in the American Psychological Association, agreed that applications can fill the need, with reference to the country level Lack of mental health providersHigh costs of care and unequal access to insured patients.
Wright said that Chatbots for mental health rooted in science, which was created with expert inputs and monitored by humans can change the scene.
“This may be something that helps people before they reach the crisis,” she said. “This is not what is in the commercial market currently.”
She said this is the reason for the federal organization and supervision.
Earlier this month, the Federal Trade Committee announced it was Opening inquiries in seven Chatbot companies Amnesty International – Instagram, Facebook, Google, Chatgpt, GROK (The Chatbot ON X), Farch.AI and Snapchat – on how to “measure and monitor the potential negative effects of this technology on children and adolescents”. The Food and Drug Administration will hold an advisory committee on November 6 for review Mental health devices that support artificial intelligence.
Wright said that federal agencies can consider restrictions on how to market a chat, reduce addiction practices, require disclosure of users that they are not medical service providers, asking companies to track and inform suicide ideas, and provide legal protection for people who report bad practices by companies.
From “accompanying applications” to “self -processing” to “mental wellness” applications, the use of artificial intelligence in mental health care is difficult to identify, not to mention writing laws about them.
This has led to various organizational methods. Some countries, for example, aim to Accompanying applications this Designed only for friendshipBut do not stand in mental health care. Laws in Illinois and Nevada are prohibited products that claim to provide mental health treatment directly, threatening fines of up to $ 10,000 in Illinois and $ 15,000 in Nevada.
But even one application can be difficult to classify.
Stefan of Earkick said there is still a lot of “very muddy” about the Illinois Law, for example, and the company has not limited to reaching there.
Stephen and her team initially stopped contacting Chatbot, which looks like a cartoon panda, a processor. But when users began to use the word in reviews, adopt the terms until the application appears in searches.
Last week, they retreated with treatment and medical terms again. Earkick described Chatbot as “sympathetic Amnesty International Adviser, equipped to support mental health journey”, but now “Chatbot for self -care”.
However, “we are not diagnosed”, as Stefan kept.
Users can prepare the “panic button” to connect with reliable loved ones if they are in crises and Chatbot will pay “users to search for a processor if their mental health is poor. Stefan said it was never designed to be an application to prevent suicide, and the police will not be called if someone tells the robot about self -harm ideas.
Stephen said she is happy that people look at Amnesty International with a critical eye, but they are concerned about the ability of countries to keep pace with innovation.
She said, “The speed of everything is enormous,” she said.
Other applications prohibited access immediately. When Illinois users download the AD Ash Ai AI app, the message urges them to send an email to the legislators, on the pretext that “misleading legislation” has banned applications such as ash “with unorganized Chatbots, it intends to regulate freedom of harm.”
ASH spokesman did not respond to multiple requests for an interview.
Mario Tritto Junior, Secretary of the Ministry of Financial and Vocational Organization in Illinois, said that the goal was ultimately to ensure that the authorized therapists were the only ones who are treating.
“Treatment is more than just the exchange of words,” said Tritto. “It requires sympathy, requires clinical judgment, and requires moral responsibility, none of which can repeat Amnesty International at the present time.”
In March, a team based in the well -known University of Dthmouth published Random clinical trial From Chatbot from artificial intelligence to treat mental health.
The goal was to have a chatbot, which is called Therabot, to treat people with anxiety, depression or eating disorders. He was trained in short articles and texts that the team wrote to clarify an evidence -based response.
The study found that the users classified the therapy similar to the processor and had less symptoms after eight weeks compared to the people who did not use it. Each reaction is monitored by a person who enters if the Chatbot response is harmful or not based on evidence.
Nicholas Jacobson, a clinical psychologist who leads his research laboratory, said the results showed an early promise, but greater studies are needed to show whether therarabot is working with large numbers of people.
“The space is so new that I think the field needs to move forward with much greater caution now happens,” he said.
Many artificial intelligence applications are improved to participate and are designed to support everything that users say, instead of challenging people’s ideas in the way the processors do. Many are on the line of companionship and treatment, and the boundaries of the intimate relationship are inflated morally.
Therabot team sought to avoid these issues.
The application is still in the test and is not widely available. But Jacobson worries about the meaning of the strict ban of developers who have followed an accurate approach. He pointed out that Illinois does not have a clear way to provide evidence that the application is safe and effective.
“They want to protect people, but the traditional system now is really failure,” he said. “So, trying to adhere to the current situation is not really the thing to do.”
Organizers and lawyers say they are open to changes. Kyle Hellman, who pressed the bills in Illinois and Nevada, said, by belonging to the National Association of Social Specialists, said Kyle Hellman, who pressed for bills in Illinois and Nevada by belonging to his affiliation with his affiliation with the Illinois and Nevada Tourism Association, said that chat stations today are not a solution to the lack of mental health providers.
“Not everyone who feels sad needs a therapist,” he said. But for people with real mental health problems or suicide ideas, “I tell them,” I know that there is a shortage of workforce but this is a bot – this is a distinct position. “
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