[gsf_emergency_6]

Rugged individualist fox!

Seriously: (local) LLMs may be helpful for therapy and/or self-enhancement (though I struggle to label these 2 "benefits" at the current level of tech, still too dependent on the user's (objective?) skill level :)

[0x4e]

Interesting.

Would this be a non-solution to a non-problem since there are already therapists out there?

Does it solve the awkwardness of talking to another human?

[PaulHoule]

I'm lucky that (1) there is one place that offers therapy in my town in 2026 (all the rest of them went out of business in in the pandemic), (2) my insurance will pay for it, and (3) my therapist endorses foxwork.

Just recently, to the great relief of my wife, I developed a "cover story" that explains it all rationally and it's a lot easier to get help from humans like personal trainers, hairdressers, voice coaches, etc. Still I have good discussions with Copilot that help me refine character adjustments and such.

[gsf_emergency_6]

Second question, yes, in my experience.

First one, bandaids have their uses even if there are first responders out there. But in general I agree with your take.

[0x4e]

I suppose one perspective can be that it's cheaper to pay $20/mo than +$150 for a 45min session. So, "advice" and "opinions" become cheap and accessible. But, does it translate into quality?

I still find it hard to accept boilerplate psychological advice from an LLM.

I think that part of the reason why we gravitate towards other humans is because we assume they've gone through similar experiences. That's why I don't take relationship advice from someone that has never dated someone. An LLM lacks... humanity... it can tell me what the textbook says but life's more nuanced than just tokens.

From my point of view an LLM has access to all the knowledge in the world but lacks the nuance that makes advice valuable in these scenarios.