Page 5 | ChatGPT BEtter than human?

thatsthatsaidthemayor · 2026-01-10T23:00:15+00:00

I’ve had a lot of difficulties. I’ve been through 4/5 counsellors over the years. Some have helped more than others. I love my current counsellor. But , (everything before but is bullshit but not here) I’ve started taking my problems to ChatGPT and finding the answers mind blowing! If this was a person I’d be delighted but feel uncomfortable that a computer is giving me better advice on being a human than a human. I get the wealth of k owl edge that it has, and that has come from humans. It’s just weird? No? So AIBU to take advice from a computer?

showyourquality · 11/01/2026 00:55

I am puzzled as to why we have so many of these threads, specifically based around therapy.
Ai has its place but anything I know a decent amount about I can see significant gaps in what I am being told.

Original poster

thatsthatsaidthemayor · 11/01/2026 00:50

Have any of the critics tried themselves being brutally honest with GPT?

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Original poster

thatsthatsaidthemayor · 11/01/2026 00:48

Fibonacci2 · 10/01/2026 23:35

It’s a machine and will tell you what you want to hear, in whatever way you will best accept it. Placebo effect in action. You seek ‘therapy’ you get ‘therapy’, you feel better. Although I feel this way about most therapists and I guess at least chat gpt isn’t billing you!

The worst thing it can do though is, if you are being unreasonable, neurotic etc you will walk away thinking you’re right…. Very dangerous!

My in person therapists validate me more than GPT

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Original poster

thatsthatsaidthemayor · 11/01/2026 00:47

catinateacup · 10/01/2026 23:26

Why would I DM you? I think it’s unhealthy and delusional to think a computer LLM is giving you genuine therapeutic advice. My own advice would be: don’t; and go and seek proper help from your GP or a therapist.

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dm me so I can validate im not a bot and can explain the level of human counselling I have had. Not to chat. You sound like a closed book.

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OttimoMassimo · 11/01/2026 00:13

Surprised to see the heat generated by this question. It isn’t "delusional" to think that AI can provide sensible and helpful advice on a huge range of topics, including personal issues.

I use paid versions of Claude and ChatGPT regularly, both at work and at home, and the quality, depth and insight of the responses can be really impressive. I've also found the replies on personal stuff to be valuable.

They don’t agree with everything I say or parrot my words back to me either. Claude in particular can be quite opinionated and challenging.

The argument that it’s “just a computer” or “only a fancy autocomplete” feels a bit weak. LLMs are trained on large amounts of human writing and are good at synthesising that material into coherent responses.

AI won't replace human counsellors, but it does a good job of helping to work through thoughts, getting a different perspective or hearing about some typical ways to tackle an issue.

Fibonacci2 · 10/01/2026 23:35

It’s a machine and will tell you what you want to hear, in whatever way you will best accept it. Placebo effect in action. You seek ‘therapy’ you get ‘therapy’, you feel better. Although I feel this way about most therapists and I guess at least chat gpt isn’t billing you!

The worst thing it can do though is, if you are being unreasonable, neurotic etc you will walk away thinking you’re right…. Very dangerous!

IsabellaGoodthing · 10/01/2026 23:30

Good therapy is not about being agreed with all the time. It is often uncomfortable and challenging. Being understood and empathised with is quite different and can be life changing, but this is exactly what AI can never offer.

X123x321X · 10/01/2026 23:26

thatsthatsaidthemayor · 10/01/2026 23:23

This is my question. I am looking for guidance from humans on the benefits of/ downside of it. Please don’t beat my ignorance up. I am genuinely asking because it seems helpful but I do not want to go down a rabbit hole.

This human says you're being conned. The fact that it appears to have insight when it doesn't is the most dangerous thing. That's not a dig at you. It's designed to be convincing.

catinateacup · 10/01/2026 23:26

thatsthatsaidthemayor · 10/01/2026 23:24

Dm me?

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Why would I DM you? I think it’s unhealthy and delusional to think a computer LLM is giving you genuine therapeutic advice. My own advice would be: don’t; and go and seek proper help from your GP or a therapist.

Original poster

thatsthatsaidthemayor · 10/01/2026 23:24

catinateacup · 10/01/2026 23:22

There’s one of these threads regularly every few days now - starting to suspect they’re paid bots promoting ChatGPT! It’s a bloody computer, it’s not a person. Treating it like a therapist is an act of self delusion. No professional safeguards, no thought or human behind it - you might as well be telling your problems to your calculator.

Dm me?

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Original poster

thatsthatsaidthemayor · 10/01/2026 23:23

This is my question. I am looking for guidance from humans on the benefits of/ downside of it. Please don’t beat my ignorance up. I am genuinely asking because it seems helpful but I do not want to go down a rabbit hole.

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DailyMaui · 10/01/2026 23:22

TwattyMcFuckFace · 10/01/2026 23:01

What's with this duplicate thread almost every day/every other day? 😳

AI tech bros worried that people will expose the fantasy bollocks?

Probably. The sensitive wee lambs....

catinateacup · 10/01/2026 23:22

There’s one of these threads regularly every few days now - starting to suspect they’re paid bots promoting ChatGPT! It’s a bloody computer, it’s not a person. Treating it like a therapist is an act of self delusion. No professional safeguards, no thought or human behind it - you might as well be telling your problems to your calculator.

SarahAndQuack · 10/01/2026 23:20

thatsthatsaidthemayor · 10/01/2026 23:19

Sorry. Am confused. Yes I did read your post. I was saying that I don’t accept what it says verbatim and I challenge it back. Once I give more information it works it out. Hope that makes sense. Don’t mean to dismiss.

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That has nothing to do with my post. I get that it may be something you feel sensitive about, but it's not to do with what I said, is it?

X123x321X · 10/01/2026 23:20

thatsthatsaidthemayor · 10/01/2026 23:13

I don’t agree. The insights are very real. Then I ask it to be brutally honest. I presume it depends on how much info you give. I have had ALOT of in person therapy and find it refreshingly honest. Certainly better than my insta algorithm

The insights are not real at all. That's not how ChatGPT works. Look up LLM and how it works.

Original poster

thatsthatsaidthemayor · 10/01/2026 23:19

SarahAndQuack · 10/01/2026 23:16

Huh? I didn't say it hadn't challenged you. And I didn't say anything about platitudes. Did you actually read my post at all?

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Sorry. Am confused. Yes I did read your post. I was saying that I don’t accept what it says verbatim and I challenge it back. Once I give more information it works it out. Hope that makes sense. Don’t mean to dismiss.

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Original poster

thatsthatsaidthemayor · 10/01/2026 23:16

I am relatively self aware. When my counsellor says things I say, no I don’t think that is how it is, ChatGPT is able to modify more readily

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SarahAndQuack · 10/01/2026 23:16

thatsthatsaidthemayor · 10/01/2026 23:15

Not in my case. It has challenged me. I haven’t accepted and have challenged any platitudes

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Huh? I didn't say it hadn't challenged you. And I didn't say anything about platitudes. Did you actually read my post at all?

blankcanvas3 · 10/01/2026 23:16

It’s unhealthy to be seeking therapy from AI. Its talked people into killing themselves. It’s baffling to me how reliant people have become on it.

Original poster

thatsthatsaidthemayor · 10/01/2026 23:15

SarahAndQuack · 10/01/2026 23:12

It would worry me because so much of what AI thinks it knows is so inaccurate.

For example, I've recently done IVF and I noticed that some people doing IVF at the same time would ask ChatGPT to help them crunch the statistics, and they'd come back with absolute nonsense, which they trusted and assumed was correct. I also notice it in my day-to-day work - google's AI has no understanding of the difference between juxtaposition and correlation, which makes for some really weird assumptions. I'm looking at history and I already tend to know when it's dropping a clanger, but my worry would be the times when you don't know.

Isn't it quite possible it'd say something you found reassuring and helpful, but it was actually dangerous/feeding into unhealthy thought patterns?

Not in my case. It has challenged me. I haven’t accepted and have challenged any platitudes

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BeFairOliveBear · 10/01/2026 23:14

I have found chat GPT increadibly helpful for myself. I can express myself so much better in writing than speaking and I think this has been a huge problem for me with talk therapy. Also I'm not constantly worried about what the therapist thinks of me etc.

I think it probably depends on the issues the person has and the style of communication that works best for them but it is definitely a very useful resource and it could help many with mild mental health issues or to simply talk through issues etc.

Original poster

thatsthatsaidthemayor · 10/01/2026 23:13

I don’t agree. The insights are very real. Then I ask it to be brutally honest. I presume it depends on how much info you give. I have had ALOT of in person therapy and find it refreshingly honest. Certainly better than my insta algorithm

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SarahAndQuack · 10/01/2026 23:12

It would worry me because so much of what AI thinks it knows is so inaccurate.

For example, I've recently done IVF and I noticed that some people doing IVF at the same time would ask ChatGPT to help them crunch the statistics, and they'd come back with absolute nonsense, which they trusted and assumed was correct. I also notice it in my day-to-day work - google's AI has no understanding of the difference between juxtaposition and correlation, which makes for some really weird assumptions. I'm looking at history and I already tend to know when it's dropping a clanger, but my worry would be the times when you don't know.

Isn't it quite possible it'd say something you found reassuring and helpful, but it was actually dangerous/feeding into unhealthy thought patterns?

EmeraldShamrock000 · 10/01/2026 23:11

A therapist won’t be hacked sharing your deepest darkest secrets, sharing with a machine that records is never a good idea.
It is early days for these fast paced changes.
I definitely wouldn’t be divulging anything personal.

ChocolateHobbit · 10/01/2026 23:08

ScrambledEggs12 · 10/01/2026 23:07

I found it useful as a therapist for a day, but then realised it was a really shit therapist.

It agrees with everything you say.

It doesn't agree with everything I say.