This is a linkpost for https://www.nature.com/articles/s44184-023-00047-6

Survey of users of Replika, an AI chatbot companion. 23% of users reported that it stimulated rather than displaced interactions with real humans, while 8% reported displacement. 30 participants (3%) spontaneously reported that it stopped them from attempting suicide.

Some excerpts:

During data collection in late 2021, Replika was not programmed to initiate therapeutic or intimate relationships. In addition to generative AI, it also contained conversational trees that would ask users about their lives, preferences, and memories. If prompted, Replika could engage in therapeutic dialogs that followed the CBT methodology of listening and asking open-ended questions. Clinical psychologists from UC Berkeley wrote scripts to address common therapeutic exchanges. These were expanded into a 10,000 phrase library and were further developed in conjunction with Replika's generative AI model. Users who expressed keywords around depression, suicidal ideation, or abuse were immediately referred to human resources, including [...]

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First published:
January 23rd, 2024

Source:
https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/dZD8eEs37wec8cHAR/loneliness-and-suicide-mitigation-for-students-using-gpt3

Linkpost URL:
https://www.nature.com/articles/s44184-023-00047-6

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Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.

[Linkpost] “Loneliness and suicide mitigation for students using GPT3-enabled chatbots (survey of Replika users in Nature)” by Kaj_Sotala

LessWrong (30+ Karma)