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Chris Hutchins-Joss's avatar

Thanks again for writing this! I thought this paper I co-authored might be of interest: https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.07.17.24310551v2

It's currently in preprint, going through peer review. We investigated an AI powered digital program that I was involved in building.

The main findings were:

- People used the digital program for about 6 hours over 2 months. Most people (78%) stuck with the program and did at least the first few sessions.

- The program really helped reduce people's anxiety symptoms. The improvements were bigger than for people who didn't do the program and as good as seeing a therapist in person.

- The benefits lasted even 1 month after finishing the program, especially for people who started with more severe anxiety.

- The digital program got similar results to seeing a therapist, but it took the therapists much less time (only about 1.5 hours per person on average).

So I think there's some incredible potential here to change lives. I also wonder how factors like solipsistic introjection might influence the nature of the therapeutic relationship.

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When Freud Meets AI's avatar

Thank you for this article; it presents great insights and intriguing resources. I also perceive a shift towards supportive roles in therapy that still keep therapists firmly in control. Therapy relies heavily on human connection, making a solely AI-driven approach unlikely to provide genuine healing.

However, I acknowledge that we may be somewhat biased, and I'm eager to observe, with a critical eye, the direction this will take us.

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