Health & body · 2026
How did AI and therapists differ when responding to people’s mental health concerns?
AI responses scored higher on empathy, while therapist responses were rated as more personalized and helpful. This comparison used real-world mental health disclosures from Counsel Chat and generated an AI response to each one. Overall quality did not clearly differ, and the ratings do not establish which approach improves mental health.
Details
Researchers compared responses to 937 mental health disclosures, using 2,749 existing therapist responses and a standardized AI response generated for each disclosure. They used automated measures and human reviewers who rated 120 response pairs without knowing which response came from AI or a therapist.
AI responses scored higher on empathy in both automated and human ratings, as well as on acknowledging people’s feelings. They also scored higher on automated safety measures, with the largest safety-score advantage for disclosures involving self-harm or suicide. Therapists’ responses, however, were rated as more specific to the person’s situation and more helpful. The study found no clear difference in overall quality; that does not establish that the responses were equivalent.
The central finding is a difference in strengths across written responses, not proof that AI provides better care. Higher empathy or safety scores do not establish better treatment outcomes or actual safety for people seeking support.
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