Is something bothering you? Tell it to an AI chatbot therapist
www.standardmedia.co.ke
In a country where traditional therapy can be expensive and often requires navigating long wait times, the instant, affordable access offered by AI chatbots is a game-changer.

In Kenya, people like Claire, a 22-year-old college student, are turning to AI-powered chatbots for mental health support due to convenience, affordability, and anonymity. Claire finds comfort in the instant response and lack of judgment from the AI, which she believes listens better than humans. However, Professor Chris Odindo, an AI expert, warns that AI should supplement human therapists, not replace them, and highlights the limitations of AI in understanding human suffering, cultural nuances, and biases in data. Despite concerns, AI has the potential to make mental health services more accessible and affordable in Kenya and other parts of Africa, but it’s essential to balance technological innovation with human empathy.

Summarized by Llama 3 70B