Quebec helplines are concerned about the appeal of confiding in ChatGPT

More and more people are confiding in chatbots like ChatGPT, but this carries certain risks, particularly for those experiencing psychological distress. The Association of Telephone Listening Centers of Quebec (ACETDQ) warns against this trend.

The association brings together 22 listening centers, including Tel-Aide, located across Quebec. The centers focus more on “anything that’s a problem before a crisis or suicide,” explains Pierre Plourde, coordinator of the Association of Telephone Listening Centers of Quebec.

He points out that chatbots have been around for a while, but in the last year or so, he’s noticed a growing popularity. “We’re seeing the signs; we’re seeing conversation apps taking on an increasingly important role. That’s why we’re now taking a bit of a stance against these apps, which have a certain virtue, but at the same time interfere somewhat with the quality of human contact with people,” he says.

As part of Listening Day 2025, the association wants to raise public awareness of the importance of human listening. The ACETDQ argues that the empathy of chatbots is artificial and that, in this sense, the listening and empathy of the person on the other end of the line cannot be replaced.

Plourde states that loneliness is widespread in Quebec society. According to him, the mechanisms of apps are not yet ready to address this type of issue. “And we don’t hope they will be ready because human communication is an element of mental health.” […] Having feedback, being able to have silence with people, being able to cry even with people, we don’t believe these mechanisms are adequate,” says the coordinator.

The risks of a long-term relationship with AI

According to the association, in some cases, a depressed person can experience a loss of contact with reality and even develop an unhealthy relationship with the generative AI they interact with.

“These devices can sometimes give us the impression that we want to be close and so desperately want to maintain a meaningful connection,” comments Plourde. “That’s when I wonder about the dangers or risks of maintaining an ongoing relationship with these applications.”

The attraction to chatbots may be symptomatic of a lack of access to mental health resources, admits Plourde. Unlike call centers, ChatGPT is available whenever we need an answer. “There are also advantages, including 24-hour accessibility and the immediacy of receiving a certain response, which may be appealing, but at the same time, isn’t perfect,” Pierre Plourde says.

“Like any service in Quebec, we’d like to have immediate availability,” he says. “That’s not the case [with call centers]. There are delays, waiting times depending on the time of day and the availability of the listeners.”

Demand for crisis lines also continues to grow. Last year, the approximately 800 trained crisis line volunteers answered nearly 165,000 calls in Quebec, an increase of nearly eight per cent in one year.

—

Health coverage by The Canadian Press is supported by a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. The Canadian Press is solely responsible for this journalistic content.

–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews