Last week, I talked about people using ChatGPT and other AI platforms for therapy. An unexpected twist is that the Illinois state legislature and Governor have put a bill into law that bans AI therapy. The approach is that only licensed professionals are allowed to perform therapeutic decisions, and without the usage of AI. Sure, there are distinct problems with this, but this could run counter to Federal plans to limit legislation to the Federal level. I struggle with this, as while I don’t agree with the idea of using a computer to decipher our personal issues, I also don’t like the idea of politicians pretending they know best. AI is publicly little more than 2 years old, and even the savviest of techies are still working to understand it, and what the implications could be. Throw a room of politicians together in a room, who have merely seen AI working, and it could wind up with drastic mistakes in legislation that will take far longer to undo.
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker has signed a bill banning AI therapists into law, the first in the nation.
