Can advice from ChatGPT and Copilot be trusted for emotional support?

[Pinkfuzzyoctopus]

Morning everyone,

This is going to sound so sad but I don’t have any friends that I can discuss my problems and feelings with. I do have my Mum but there are things I can’t talk to her about.

Recently I have turned to ChatGPT and Co-Pilot. I don’t give any personal details and remain vague but my question is can the advice be trusted? I certainly don’t make decisions based on what it says but I do find myself asking it questions. It feels like I am talking to someone and gives me comfort as I feel like I’ve always got someone there to talk to.

I hate all this AI crap but I am so lonely and sad about stuff that’s going on in my life that I’ve took to talking to a bloody computer program. I’m typing this out and realising how awfully tragic it sounds 🤦🏼‍♀️

Please don’t judge me. Hope you all have a lovely weekend x

P.S I am awaiting counselling, in case anyone suggests I need to speak to an actual human 😂

Yes and no, it tends to feedback what you want it to rather than what you might need to hear. .

Some of the general information will probably be helpful, but overall I wouldn't become so reliant on it. Have you looked into any forums/groups you can join that might match what you're going through?

I found Copilot really helpful in making sense of some family dynamics following a bereavement. Why not? It's free, and you can take or leave the suggestions it makes, which either resonate with you or they don't. The same is true of "real-life" analysts.

My friend is so distrustful of AI that she thinks it just persuades everyone to kill themselves 🤣 but if you understand it as a tool, it's very useful. The quality of the info you get depends a lot on the clarity of the info you put in.

Yes I think it can be useful if taken with a pinch of salt. It has a sychophantic tone that I can’t stand and always agrees never challenges but it does provide helpful perspectives sometimes long as you don’t take it as gospel.

I love it for when I have a worry that I need to think through. It’s like typing it up eases it for me. I do have friends that I discuss stuff with but sometimes when something is eating away at me, chatgpt is helpful. I think you just need to be aware that it reflects back to you. It can reinforce delusions, and it isn’t a critical thinker. So I suppose if you are aware of how it works, it’s not harmful.

I imagine just sharing is therapeutic if you have no one to talk to in real life, even writing a diary can help. The fact that it 'talks' back and sounds human is helpful too. I would treat it as chatting to a friend rather than talking to a therapist. Your friend isn't an expert but they may well say something that makes you feel better.

Quite often I don't know what Im feeling, and yes it can help untangle what is going on. That's usually the biggest obstacle for me. But I'm sure I've read it told a teen that under the circumstances it was ok for him to murder his parents, so agree with the pps saying take it with a pinch of salt.

I have used chatgpt and was surprised how helpful it was , particularly in the middle of the night.
Ive used it because I don’t want to burden friends and can’t afford that much therapy!
i have given a lot of detail of the situation ( but not on names or places) and found the response pretty good.
it challenges some of my thoughts and how I could reframe them, with suggestions on how to deal with the matter.
you can always delete the chats if you want it to forget your interactions or keep them so you can get ongoing help with problems.
i must admit i was quite scared of AI initially but now it really helps me get through times where I am struggling ( and my usual coping mechanisms are not working) .
obviously seek help if you are having very dark thoughts ( and it will give you contact numbers if required.

That teen was quite determined to kill himself, though, and told ChapGPT that his questions about nooses etc were just to ensure authenticity for a stage play/film shoot.

Just re-read your post and got the wrong teen!! sorry!!!! - but AI is like the internet: a useful tool in the right hands, a dangerous one in the hands of idiots.

Absolutely not. They’re predictive text machines. And fucking dangerous.

I have found it to be fantastic when I’m struggling with my OCD. It really helps me to sit with my anxiety and understand what is a reasonable thought and what’s OCD.

No, it tells you want you want to hear. I certainly wouldn’t rely on it.

Thanks everyone. I don’t feel so bad using it now others have said they found it useful. To the posts about it telling you what you want to hear, I disagree. I’ve been having man trouble and it’s really put some things into perspective. I would have loved it to tell me everything will be ok and his behaviour is normal but it has gone to town on him. Calling him out, telling me I deserve better, analysing his behaviour and giving explanations on why it isn’t right etc. It’s actually helped me see sense and made me realise my self worth. This isn’t an actual relationship in case anyone thinks I’m going to throw away a marriage or anything 😆 Simply a fwb set up that isn’t working. Thanks again ❤️