The mental health AI chatbot made for real life | Alison Darcy (Kelly Corrigan takeover)
TED Talks Daily
TED
4.1 • 12.1K Ratings
🗓️ 5 May 2025
⏱️ 32 minutes
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Summary
Who do you turn to when panic strikes in the middle of the night — and can AI help? Psychologist Alison Darcy shares the vision behind Woebot, a mental health chatbot designed to support people in tough moments, especially when no one else is around. In conversation with author and podcaster Kelly Corrigan, Darcy explores what we should expect and demand from ethically designed, psychological AIs.
This is episode two of a seven-part series airing this week on TED Talks Daily, where author, podcaster and past TED speaker Kelly Corrigan — and her six TED2025 speakers — explore the question: In the world of artificial intelligence, what is a parent for?
To hear more from Kelly Corrigan, listen to Kelly Corrigan Wonders wherever you get your podcasts, or at kellycorrigan.com/podcast.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This episode is brought to you by South by Southwest London. |
| 0:04.4 | For the first time ever, the famous South by Southwest Festival is coming to London and you'll want to be there. |
| 0:09.5 | It's a convergence of creativity, culture, and technology. |
| 0:13.5 | The conference will cover topics like Our Future Health, should we reach for immortality, |
| 0:18.1 | or explore a topic like innovation meets imagination, |
| 0:21.2 | the future of creativity, or sustainability fashion. |
| 0:25.1 | More than a movement? |
| 0:26.1 | Is wearable tech just getting started? |
| 0:28.4 | Check out all these exciting conversations, |
| 0:30.4 | plus an incredible chance to network. |
| 0:32.8 | You can meet potential clients, investors, and partners. |
| 0:36.0 | It's the first time that South by Southwest will be in Europe, so be the first at the first. |
| 0:41.5 | It will be a multi-site event across more than 25 venues in shortage running from the 2nd to the 7th of June 2025. |
| 0:50.6 | Search South by Southwest London and use code TED20 at checkout to get a 20% discount off all passes. |
| 1:02.4 | You're listening to Ted Talks Daily, where we bring you new ideas and conversations to spark your curiosity every day. |
| 1:14.1 | I'm Kelly Corrigan. I'm a writer. I'm a podcaster. I'm a TED Talker. And I am taking over for Elise Hugh this week for a special series on AI and Family Life. |
| 1:24.9 | A guest curated a session about this topic at TED 2025. And I'm here now to share |
| 1:30.0 | these very special talks with you, along with behind-the-scenes recordings and personal insights |
| 1:35.7 | that shed light on the process of bringing them to life. So I was listening to another podcast, and I heard this fabulous woman named Dr. Allison Darcy. |
| 1:55.7 | And I admit, I was swayed by her charming Irish accent. |
| 2:00.1 | But also, she has a very light touch in a very |
| 2:03.1 | heavy world, which is creating AI therapy for people who probably wouldn't do therapy |
... |
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