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University of Michigan School of Information

Robert: Privacy, ethics among concerns with mental health chatbots

"Quoted by Diverse: Issues in Education. Associate Professor Lionel Robert. Can — and Should — Chatbots Help Students Navigate Mental Health Crises?" Headshot of Lionel Robert. UMSI logo.

Thursday, 12/02/2021

Using chatbots for mental health treatments has become commonplace, especially during the pandemic. 

Diverse reports on the prevalence and the problems of using artificial intelligence-enabled chatbots for students with mental health concerns. Chatbots can be an inexpensive, always-available solution for an increasing demand for mental health support.

But University of Michigan School of Information associate professor Lionel Robert says the technology can have problematic issues around privacy, ethics and cultural appropriateness that should not be overlooked. 

We can imagine a chatbot being good at general things like stress, but not specific crises like sexual abuse. That's where things get fuzzy.

Read “Can — and Should — Chatbots Help Students Navigate Mental Health Crises?” on DiverseEducation.com.


Learn more about Associate Professor Lionel Robert.