The rise of AI therapy

Would you ever share your most intimate, personal circumstances with an AI - and then use its advice in your day-to-day life? If the answer is yes, then you are not alone. Many people are turning to human-like AI chatbots for help with their mental health. So we're going to spend the programme exploring the fascinating and growing phenomenon of AI therapists. We’ll find out how and why people are using it by listening in to some very personal AI ‘therapy’ sessions. How does it work - and can it be effective? As its real-world use far outpaces the evidence, we’ll find out the potential pitfalls – and positives. Can AI therapy really help us? Presenter: Claudia Hammond Presenter's friend: Professor Catherine Loveday Producer: Gerry Holt Researcher: Mohan Shi Content editor: Ilan Goodman Production coordinator: Jana Holesworth Details of organisations offering support with mental health, or feelings of despair are available at bbc.co.uk/actionline.

You can listen to The rise of AI therapy online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

The rise of AI therapy is an episode from All in the Mind by BBC.

This episode is 28:20 long.

This episode was published on Oct 7, 2025.

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