Woebot Labs debuts fully AI mental health chatbot via Facebook Messenger

There's a new chatbot in town, and it only wants to talk about mental health. Meet Woebot, now available to anyone via Facebook Messenger looking for some supportive talk to deal with anxiety or depression. Rather than augmenting a real therapist or even a non-clinical person, Woebot is wholly robotic; open to engage with an individual as often or as little as they want depending on their needs. San Francisco-based Woebot Labs created the tool –originally intended for college students but later expanded to all adults – based on cognitive behavioral therapy techniques. Anyone with Facebook Messenger can search for Woebot and begin sending messages, effectively bringing Woebot to life.