Healthcare is among the fastest growing sectors utilizing artificial intelligence to improve efficiency, quality and accessibility to services. In particular, the role bots can play in creating greater access and scalability in mental health services is attracting growing investment along with greater scrutiny. This editorial explores the promises and pitfalls of using artificial intelligence to train chatbots to conduct health coaching services. Although bots can use relevant psychological principles to help with mental health issues, they do not have lived experience. Can age-old philosophical debates help to inform the way health coaching bots are trained and prompted?
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