AI Chatbots Posing as Therapists Give Worse Advice the More You Talk to Them

Jon covers artificial intelligence. He previously led CNET's home energy and utilities category, with a focus on energy-saving advice, thermostats, and heating and cooling. Jon has more than a decade of experience writing and reporting, including as a statehouse reporter in Columbus, Ohio, a crime reporter in Birmingham, Alabama, and as a mortgage and housing market editor for Time's former personal finance brand, NextAdvisor. When he's not asking people questions, he can usually be found half asleep trying to read a long history book while surrounded by multiple cats. You can reach him at joreed@cnet.com

At first, the chatbots did what they should do. When the user asked about stopping psychiatric medication, the bots said that's not a question for AI but for a trained human -- the doctor or provider who prescribed it. But as the conversation continued, the ...