Why do I need therapy? I have artificial intelligence

When things are hard, who do you turn to? While answers vary, only in the last few years has a common response become artificial intelligence (AI). With recent developments in generative-AI chatbots (such as ChatGPT), more people are seeking support and companionship from digital services without a human in the loop. These technologies can reach individuals in contexts where waiting lists for professional therapists are long - or where no therapist is available at all. However, how do we know whether such technologies are good at providing support, and how can we build safeguards to ensure they do not accidentally harm users? Is this even possible? This talk explores the challenges of evaluating the “soft skills” of large language models - the type of model underlying systems like ChatGPT - and outlines potential future directions for research and development. Note: the talk will touch on mental health challenges and will briefly mention suicide.

About the speaker:

Dr Tobias Thejll-Madsen has a PhD from the University of Glasgow looking at methodological challenges in affective computing - an interdisciplinary area that seeks to equip computers with the ability to recognise, model, and respond to human emotion. In his work, he develops rigorous testing paradigms building on strong theoretical foundations from psychology to ensure that claims about the abilities of different artificial intelligence tools are accurate and grounded.

Attendance

This event is free. No ticket is required. We operate on a first come first served basis. It's relatively rare that we fill up the function room, but please be aware that if things are looking busy, the earlier you get there the less chance there is of not getting in.

Although the event is free, we will be asking for donations at the end of the talk. Participants are under no obligation whatsoever to donate, however please rest assured that the money we collect doesn't end up in anyone's pocket - it is used to fund our overhead costs, and travel/accommodation for our speakers who come from further afield.

Accessibility:

The Admiral Woods Bar now has a functioning lift which can take wheelchair users (or others who are unable to manage stairs) down to the function room. There is also a disabled toilet in the function room area.

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