Ethics Guest Lecture: Serife Tekin

The Department of Philosophy is delighted to welcome Dr. Serife Tekin, Associate Professor of Philosophy at the Center for Bioethics and Humanities (SUNY Upstate Medical University). Dr. Tekin will deliver a lecture entitled “Artificial Intelligence, Chatbot Therapy and the Future of Psychiatry.”

Abstract:

“The gulf between the needs of individuals with mental disorders and available mental health care services disproportionately affects vulnerable populations with a high risk of developing mental health problems. Advances in applications of artificial intelligence and the use of data analytics technology in biomedicine create some optimism, with some researchers and developers proposing that psychotherapy chatbots, i.e., artificially intelligent bots that offer cognitive behavior therapy to their users, may fill the need-availability gap by increasing mental health care resources. Proponents often list these apps’ low cost, wide accessibility through cell phones and availability in different languages as advantages and argue that these make them ideal medical tools, especially in areas with a shortage of clinicians. In this talk, I raise epistemic and ethical concerns about the use of chatbots and will situate this technology in the broader framework of mental health research and care.”

Sponsored by the Ethics ILM and the Health Humanities ILM.