AI Therapists Belong In The Back Office, Not The Chair

New Stanford research cautions against using AI for direct mental health therapy, citing significant risks. AI chatbots showed concerning biases, failed to recognize suicidal ideation, and sometimes enabled harmful thinking. While AI shouldn't replace therapists, it can serve behind-the-scenes roles in healthcare administration, clinician training, and low-risk self-support. AI mental health tools should have clear clinical boundaries, human oversight for risk situations, and honest marketing. Therapy's transformative power stems from human relationships that AI cannot replicate.