“The reality is millions of people are using these tools and they’re not going back,” said Karin Andrea Stephan, CEO and co-founder of the mental health chatbot app Earkick. Mental health chatbots that are rooted in science, created with expert input and monitored by humans could change the landscape, Wright said. Not all apps have blocked accessFrom “companion apps” to “AI therapists” to “mental wellness” apps, AI’s use in mental health care is varied and hard to define, let alone write laws around. Some states, for example, take aim at companion apps that are designed just for friendship, but don’t wade into mental health care. Many AI apps are optimized for engagement and are built to support everything users say, rather than challenging peoples’ thoughts the way therapists do.