Comparing perceived empathy and intervention strategies of an AI chatbot and human psychotherapists in online mental health support

Background

Given the growing potential of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance therapeutic interventions and work with a large number of people, it is crucial to understand AI's differences, advantages and limitations compared with human therapists.

Methodology

This study compared an AI chatbot's and human psychotherapists' capabilities in responding to mental health enquiries in an online forum. One hundred and fifty questions from a Reddit forum, where qualified therapists provide mental health support, were selected. Each question received two responses: one from a human therapist and one generated by AI. These 300 responses were coded and compared based on empathy indices and psychological intervention types.

Results

The results indicated that AI scored significantly higher in perspective-taking (V = 12,957, p < .001, r = .53) and empathic concern (V = 17,400, p < .001, r = .60). AI was more likely to use supportive interventions (42.2% vs. 21.8%) and slightly more likely to aim for insight-driven change (6.41% vs. 4.57%). In contrast, human therapists were more inclined to provide advice and information (47.84% vs. 39.81%), explore dysfunctional patterns (19.95% vs. 10.29%) and ask clarifying questions (4.09% vs. 0.97%). A chi-squared test confirmed significant differences between the intervention types used by AI and human therapists (χ²[8, N = 300] = 67.80, p < .001).

Discussion

These findings highlight AI's potential for basic perceived empathic support, especially in administrative tasks and therapist training. However, the study's scope is limited to single interactions, without the consideration of the nuanced communication available to human therapists through speech, facial expressions and body language.