The AI Chatbot That Accidentally Became a Therapist

Pi, by Inflection AI, was designed to be a friendly conversational companion. What nobody expected was that millions of users would start treating it as their therapist.

Pi does not claim to be a therapist. It explicitly says it is not one. But its warm, empathetic conversational style — always curious, never judgmental, endlessly patient — hits many of the same notes as a good therapy session. Users report feeling genuinely heard and understood.

This raises fascinating questions. Is an AI that makes people feel better actually doing therapy? Does intent matter, or only outcome? And if millions of people cannot access or afford real therapy, is an imperfect AI substitute better than nothing?

The mental health establishment says no. Users say yes. The truth, as usual, is complicated.