Swiss counselling service adds AI chatbot to meet online demand

Swiss counselling service Dargebotene Hand is adding an AI chatbot to its online counselling service because it can currently answer only one in three to one in four chat requests, SRF reports.

People who cannot reach a human counsellor through the chat will be able to talk with the bot instead of being asked to try again later. Project lead Eva Hausmann said the service wants to ensure people are offered some support rather than turned away. The chatbot is expected to be used mainly at night, from 10 p.m. to 10 a.m.

Hausmann said the chatbot could also help younger people access support, as they may prefer to try a bot before deciding whether to speak with a person. Dargebotene Hand has traditionally reached older people through its 143 telephone service, she said.

In acute crises, including suicidal thoughts, the chatbot will stop the conversation and direct users to a human counsellor and relevant phone numbers, Hausmann said.

The service hopes the chatbot will also reduce demand for human online counselling. Hausmann said experience in Finland, where the bot was introduced first, showed that people sometimes used it to consider whether they needed human support. The waiting time for chat counselling there fell by about 30 percent.

Hausmann said the service still needs to recruit and train more volunteers, so it can support as many people as possible, including those experiencing suicidal thoughts.