Therapeutic Chatbots as Cognitive-Affective Artifacts.

Conversational Artificial Intelligence (CAI) systems (also known as AI "chatbots") are among the most promising examples of the use of technology in mental health care. With already millions of users worldwide, CAI is likely to change the landscape of psychological help. Most researchers agree that...

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Published in:Topoi: An International Review of Philosophy Vol. 43; no. 3; pp. 795 - 808
Main Authors: Grodniewicz, J. P., Hohol, Mateusz
Format: Article
Published: Springer Nature Aug2024
Subjects:
Online Access:View this record in EBSCOhost
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        atl: Therapeutic Chatbots as Cognitive-Affective Artifacts.
      aug:
        au:
          Grodniewicz, J. P.
          Hohol, Mateusz
        affil: https://ror.org/03bqmcz70 Copernicus Center for Interdisciplinary Studies, Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Krakow, Poland
      su:
        Mental health services
        Chatbots
        Cognitive therapy
        Artificial intelligence
        Medical technology
      sug:
        subj:
          Mental health services
          Chatbots
          Cognitive therapy
          Artificial intelligence
          Medical technology
      keyword:
        Affective Artifacts
        Cognitive Artifacts
        Conversational Artificial Intelligence
        Mental Health Chatbots
        Psychotherapy
        Simulation
      ab: Conversational Artificial Intelligence (CAI) systems (also known as AI "chatbots") are among the most promising examples of the use of technology in mental health care. With already millions of users worldwide, CAI is likely to change the landscape of psychological help. Most researchers agree that existing CAIs are not "digital therapists" and using them is not a substitute for psychotherapy delivered by a human. But if they are not therapists, what are they, and what role can they play in mental health care? To answer these questions, we appeal to two well-established and widely discussed concepts: cognitive and affective artifacts. Cognitive artifacts are artificial devices contributing functionally to the performance of a cognitive task. Affective artifacts are objects which have the capacity to alter subjects' affective state. We argue that therapeutic CAIs are a kind of cognitive-affective artifacts which contribute to positive therapeutic change by (i) simulating a (quasi-)therapeutic interaction, (ii) supporting the performance of cognitive tasks, and (iii) altering the affective condition of their users. This sheds new light on why virtually all existing mental health CAIs implement principles and techniques of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy — a therapeutic orientation according to which affective change and, ultimately, positive therapeutic change is mediated by cognitive change. Simultaneously, it allows us to conceptualize better the potential and limitations of applying these technologies in therapy.
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    language: English
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