May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and as AI becomes more embedded in our daily lives, one of the biggest questions we face is whether these systems can responsibly support emotional and psychological well-being.
AI chatbots are increasingly being used for emotional support, but recent lawsuits faced by OpenAI and earlier ones targeting character.ai and Google's AI Overviews, as well as clinical reports, and internal research have raised valid concerns about their impact on vulnerable users.
What does it take to build an AI system specifically designed for mental health from the ground up? Is that even possible?
In this LIVE episode of The Neuron Podcast, Corey Noles and Grant Harvey speak with Daniel Reid Cahn, co-founder and CEO of Slingshot AI, about Ash, an AI application purpose-built for therapeutic support. Slingshot has raised $93M from a16z, Radical Ventures, and others to develop a foundation model for psychology trained on structured therapeutic conversations across modalities such as CBT, DBT, and psychodynamic therapy.
We discuss the limitations of general-purpose chatbots in mental health contexts, recent controversies surrounding AI and psychiatric risk, and what differentiates a system designed to provide structured therapeutic engagement compared to one being used in a way it was never intended to be. The conversation also explores a broader question: Can AI meaningfully expand access to high-quality mental health care, and where should clear boundaries remain? Or should we keep our counseling where we always have, on a couch with a box of Kleenex and a hug nearby?
🔗 Try Ash:
https://www.talktoash.com/
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The Neuron breaks down the biggest stories in AI for 580,000+ daily readers. Our podcast goes deeper with the leaders, founders, and researchers shaping the future of AI. New episodes every week.
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