Feed: Slashdot
Feed Link: https://slashdot.org/
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Title: Illinois Bans AI Therapy, Joins Two Other States in Regulating
Chatbots

Link: https://news.slashdot.org/story/25/08/16/0434...

"Illinois last week banned the use of artificial intelligence in mental
health therapy," reports the Washington Post, "joining a small group of
states regulating the emerging use of AI-powered chatbots for emotional
support and advice." Licensed therapists in Illinois are now forbidden from
using AI to make treatment decisions or communicate with clients, though they
can still use AI for administrative tasks. Companies are also not allowed to
offer AI-powered therapy services - or advertise chatbots as therapy tools -
without the involvement of a licensed professional. Nevada passed a similar
set of restrictions on AI companies offering therapy services in June, while
Utah also tightened regulations for AI use in mental health in May but
stopped short of banning the use of AI. The bans come as experts have raised
alarms about the potential dangers of therapy with AI chatbots that haven't
been reviewed by regulators for safety and effectiveness. Already, cases have
emerged of chatbots engaging in harmful conversations with vulnerable people -
 and of users revealing personal information to chatbots without realizing
their conversations were not private. Some AI and psychiatry experts said
they welcomed legislation to limit the use of an unpredictable technology in
a delicate, human-centric field.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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