Eri, You're AI Therapy Guide

My project speculates on how a culturally attuned AI chatbot can be ethically designed to bring awareness to local in person therapy resources for racialized people. This is in the form of an app, with an AI chatbot named Eri. In the app, "Eri" is programmed to provide Culturally Adapted Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) exercises based on a therapy worksheet from Positive Psychology, before recommending in person therapy resources through links in the chat. The purpose of the activities is therapy practice as a first step before getting recommendations for in person therapy. There's a continued emphasis in the chat that "Eri" is not a therapist, but just a guide for in person resources. The resources vary from general mental health ones, to ones for students and a few specifically for black women. The app also includes a page with community organizations, with an emphasize on organizations for black racialized people, as an encouragement for being in community with like minded people for better mental health. Based on my racial identity, I highlight black people as an example of a future user case because of the current tech biases and systemic barriers that exist amongst people of colour.

Included in the project is a narrative short film of what this app could be like in the future, with visuals of me as a user comparatively using ChatGPT and the app "Eri" for therapy resources. The narration brings about ideas of a future where everyone is using AI for therapy and questioning how it would behave. The story brings conflicting thoughts on this future system behaviour, with questions on whether or not it could provide resources for a racialized person like me. The story concludes with how "Eri" could be a solution and that AI should be used for awareness towards in person therapy resources for racialized people, and not as your therapist.

The app and the short film come together to reimagine AI usage for therapy, through an ethical design project where AI is used for therapy awareness, not therapy.

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My background is in graphic design, videography and web design. I enjoy creating projects that reflect current topics happening in our world, and bringing about possible solutions or new ways of thinking about them.