A nonprofit has suspended the use of a chatbot that was giving potentially damaging advice to people seeking help for eating disorders. Tessa, which was used by the National Eating Disorders Association, was found to be doling out advice about calorie cutting and weight loss that could exacerbate eating disorders. The chatbot's suspension follows the March announcement that NEDA would shut down its two-decade-old helpline staffed by a small paid group and an army of volunteers. NEDA said yesterday that it has paused the chatbot, and the nonprofit's CEO, Liz Thompson, says the organization has concerns over language Tessa used that is "against our policies and core beliefs as an eating disorder organization." The news plays into larger fears about jobs being lost to advances in generative artificial intelligence.

The National Eating Disorder Association (Neda) has taken down an artificial intelligence chatbot, "Tessa", after reports that the chatbot was providing harmful advice. Neda has been under criticism over the last few months after it fired four employees in March who worked for its helpline and had formed a union. The helpline allowed people to call, text or message volunteers who offered support and resources to those concerned about an eating disorder. Members of the union, Helpline Associates United, say they were fired days after their union election was certified. The union has filed unfair labor practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board.

US researchers have developed a chatbot that may help reduce the likelihood a person develops an eating disorder. The bot helped women at a high risk for an eating disorder to reduce their concern over body weight and shape - a factor that contributes to their risk, The Verge reported. According to Ellen Fitzsimmons-Craft, Assistant Professor of psychiatry at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, digital prevention programmes could be more effective when guided by a human moderator. The team developed a chatbot that offered "some aspects of moderation in an automated format", Fitzsimmons-Craft was quoted as saying. Participants in the study could use the chatbot through texts or through Facebook Messenger.