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Researchers at the MPI for Human Development are using a chatbot designed to combat loneliness to investigate the safe and effective deployment of AI in psychiatric healthcare.

Digital technologies are playing an increasingly important role in the management of mental health conditions. Chatbots, such as ChatGPT, offer opportunities but also come with risks. Dirk Wulff, researcher at the Center for Adaptive Rationality, emphasizes that large language models are often perceived as empathetic, despite being based purely on statistical patterns.
This can be problematic when users bring up emotional or distressing topics. As part of the Elderbot project, a research team from the Max Planck Institute for Human Development, in collaboration with the University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf, is developing a dialogue-oriented AI system designed to combat loneliness in older adults. The system is intentionally designed to be user-friendly and is closely monitored by researchers to realistically assess its potential benefits and risks.

Full article: Max Planck Forschung  | 30.03.2026