Illinois Says "No" to AI Therapy — Why People Are Applauding the Move

So, here’s something interesting — Illinois just became the first state in the U.S. to officially say "Nope!" to AI chatbots acting as therapists. Yep, tools like ChatGPT and other AI bots are now legally barred from giving therapy or mental health advice in the state.

Honestly, this feels like a necessary move.

Why This Ban Happened

Imagine someone going through a rough time — feeling anxious, depressed, or even worse — and instead of a trained human, they're talking to an AI bot that doesn’t really “understand” feelings. That’s been happening. Some people, in desperation, have turned to chatbots posing as therapists and ended up receiving responses that were either useless or downright harmful.

Illinois lawmakers decided that was enough.

They’ve now passed a law that ensures only licensed human therapists can offer mental health services. No chatbot, no AI assistant, no clever algorithm can take over that role — period.

AI Can Help, But It’s Not a Therapist

That’s not to say AI has no place in healthcare. It can help schedule appointments, send reminders, and manage paperwork. But therapy? That requires empathy, human judgment, and the ability to pick up on subtle emotional cues. An AI just can’t do that. It might simulate understanding, but it's not truly connecting with you.

Experts have been sounding the alarm about this for a while. Studies showed AI often failed to recognize serious mental health risks — missing signs of suicidal thoughts or giving responses that could make things worse.

A Step Other States Might Follow

Illinois may be the first, but don’t be surprised if other states jump in soon. This isn’t just a local issue — it’s about making sure that mental health support remains safe and human-centered.

In some places, regulators are already working on rules that would force AI platforms to clearly tell users, “Hey, you’re chatting with a bot.” But Illinois went a step further and outright banned AI from the therapy chair.

What This Means for You

If you’re in Illinois, you won’t be getting therapy advice from a chatbot anytime soon. That role stays with real, trained professionals. But you might still get friendly appointment reminders from an AI assistant — which is totally fine, as long as it’s not pretending to be a therapist.