Why did I build this project?
First of all, I want to explain why I built this project. I have been going to therapy regularly for about five years, and it has been one of the best decisions I have made in my life. I truly believe that everyone needs to develop the ability to observe their thoughts and emotions through therapy and thus get to know themselves better. I also believe therapy sessions can be an enormous help in this regard. This raises a question: Can AI conduct a therapy session like a human? Of course, much could be written about this question; but as far as I have realized from my own experience, therapy is actually a responsibility that must be taken on. What I mean is this: Whether or not you make progress in therapy is entirely under the patient's own control. The therapist is really only trying to ask you the right question; they show you paths toward discovering truths about yourself, but whether you walk those paths is entirely up to you. A scene in the film Adieu Lacan also sums up the therapist's role beautifully: "You are not interested in what I say; what I don't say is what interests you." I realized that AI imitates the therapist very well in this respect and performs successful analyses. It too is curious about what you do not say and asks questions about those things. With the right prompt and guidance, it can genuinely ask a person the right question. Whether you answer that question, or even think about it, is entirely up to you. In other words, neither AI nor a therapist can help someone who does not want to question themselves.