Thematic Session 9

What is conversational AI and how can chatbots like ChatGPT impact counselling helplines? What are the legal and ethical implications of their possible use in helplines? 
As conversational AI tools become increasingly popular, chat counselling helplines are confronted with pressing questions about if these technologies can be responsibly used or not. There is a pressing need to consider the ethical foundations guiding such use, particularly regarding the level of autonomy of AI chatbots. Little is known on the degree to which AI systems should independently interact with users without human intervention in chat counselling. Defining these ethical boundaries is crucial, particularly in sensitive contexts (such as abuse or suicide) with vulnerable populations. In this session, we will discuss these ethical options and their possible effects for users. We will show what the effects can be of ethically trained AI chatbots on their behaviour. The discussion on AI chatbot autonomy will prove to be a very human one.