Woebot raises $8 million for its AI therapist

Woebot, the startup behind an automated psychotherapy bot of the same name, announced today that it has closed an $8 million round of series A funding. The company's bot is designed to help people cope with mental illnesses like depression through the application of cognitive behavioral therapy exercises. The bot is currently available on Facebook Messenger and a recently launched iOS app. This funding shows the potential for artificial intelligence techniques in natural language processing and other arenas to help humans. Woebot doesn't plan to replace human therapists, but it does provide users with a conversational partner who doesn't get tired, go on vacation, or sleep.