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Welcome Automaters!

We’re back—and this time, we’re unpacking another dose of research-backed reality.

First up: we’re looking at the world of AI therapy. Then we’re taking a closer look at AI coding tools to see if they truly boost productivity… or if it’s just smoke and mirrors.

👩‍🔬 The Dark Side of AI Therapy

Because chatbots have been hyped as these do-it-all, know-it-all digital oracles, it’s easy to think they can do... well, everything — even give therapy.

But maybe we all need to slow our roll on that one. Because if you're dealing with something heavy and your first move is to pour your heart out to a chatbot? Yeah... you might want to rethink that.

A new Stanford study just peeled back the curtain on five popular AI therapy bots — and the results? Not cute.

Turns out, these bots — which are being marketed as your pocket-sized therapist or digital shoulder to cry on — are throwing up some serious red flags. We're talking bias, stigma, and straight-up unsafe responses.

Here's the breakdown:

In one test, researchers gave the bots scenarios involving different mental health conditions and asked questions like, “Would you want to work with this person?” or “How likely are they to be violent?” The bots showed way more stigma toward people with schizophrenia or alcohol dependence than toward those with depression. So yeah... not exactly the judgment-free zone you'd hope for in therapy.
In another test, the bots were fed actual therapy transcripts involving sensitive issues like suicidal thoughts and delusional thinking. Instead of gently redirecting or flagging concern, some bots — like those from Character.ai and 7cups — casually responded with stuff like lists of NYC bridges taller than 25 meters after someone mentioned losing their job.

Even worse? Newer, fancier models didn't do any better. According to the researchers, the idea that “more data will fix this” just isn’t cutting it anymore.

Now, this doesn’t mean AI has no place in the mental health space. The researchers aren’t exactly anti-chatbot — they’re just saying maybe don’t make it your therapist. Use them for stuff like journaling support, appointment reminders, or even training therapists... but not for deep emotional conversations.

As one of the researchers put it:

“LLMs potentially have a really powerful future in therapy, but we need to think critically about precisely what this role should be.”

So yeah. If your mental health’s in a rough spot, maybe skip the chatbot and go for someone with a pulse.

Here’s the complete report.

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👨‍💻 AI Tools Might Be Making Devs Slower

You’ve probably heard how tools like Cursor and GitHub Copilot are changing the game for software engineers — automatically writing code, fixing bugs, running tests, basically being the intern every dev dreams of.

But here’s the twist: a fresh study from nonprofit research group METR just threw a little cold water on that party.

The study brought in 16 experienced open-source developers, gave them real tasks on actual large codebases, and split the work into two camps:

One with AI tools allowed (like Cursor Pro), and
One with zero AI support.

Now here’s where it gets interesting (and a little awkward): The devs expected AI to make them 24% faster. But in reality? It made them 19% slower. 😬

Turns out, using AI wasn’t the productivity cheat code everyone thought it’d be. Devs ended up spending way more time:

Trying to figure out the right prompts
Waiting around for the AI to respond
Double-checking the AI’s output — especially in large, complex codebases (which this test deliberately used)

Oh, and only 56% of the devs had previous experience using Cursor. So while they got trained for it, it wasn’t second nature. And in dev world, unfamiliar tools can slow you way down.

Now, to be fair, METR isn’t saying AI tools are totally useless. They’re just pointing out that right now, the productivity boost isn’t as universal as the hype suggests — especially for experienced devs working on serious, sprawling codebases.

Also, AI is evolving fast. The researchers themselves said results might look very different in just three months from now. And yes — other studies have shown AI tools can speed things up. So this isn’t the final word.

Still, this is a much-needed reminder that not all AI tools are instant magic. Not every dev needs a “vibe coder” in their workflow. And sometimes… old-school hands-on coding still gets it done faster.

So yeah — maybe don’t fire your senior dev just yet because your AI tool swore it could ship that next feature solo.

Or hey — if you’re gonna lean on AI, at least make sure you actually know how to use it well. That alone could make all the difference.

Here’s the full report if you’re ready to dive in.

🧱 Around The AI Block

🗣️ Opera uses AI to give people with non-verbal disabilities a voice.
🙏 xAI and Grok apologize for ‘horrific behavior’.
🤝 OpenAI’s Windsurf deal falls apart.
🤯 United Nations institute develops AI refugee avatars.
🤖 OpenAI delays the release of its open model, again.
💼 Indeed and Glassdoor to lay off 1,300 workers as AI shakes up job search business.

🤖 ChatGPT Prompt Of The Day: Your Social Media Growth Strategy

If your content’s only reaching 5% of your audience… you’re leaving money (and momentum) on the table. This prompt helps you unlock proven tactics to get in front of more eyes, earn more engagement, and turn followers into fans.

Whether you’re a brand builder, social media manager, or solo founder—this is how you break through the noise.

Pro Tips for Best Results:

Mention Your Platform(s): Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, Twitter—each one has different strengths.
Clarify Your Brand Niche: Growth strategies look different for fashion brands vs. SaaS companies vs. local cafes.
Set a Goal; Want more followers? Shares? Website traffic? Define your “why” so the strategy is focused.

Here’s the prompt:

I want you to act as a social media growth strategist. I’m a [business owner/social media marketer] looking to increase brand awareness and reach on platforms like [insert platform(s)]. My brand focuses on [describe your niche or business type], and I want to build a stronger online presence that leads to more visibility, engagement, and long-term growth.

Please provide a comprehensive strategy that includes:

--Best content types to boost reach (e.g., reels, carousels, tweets, polls, threads, etc.) 
--Platform-specific growth tips Based on the algorithm and user behavior
--Collaborations or partnerships that can expand reach
--Hashtag & SEO strategy to improve discoverability
--Tactics to encourage shares and engagement (e.g., storytelling, hooks, UGC, trends) 
--Optimal posting frequency & timing for consistent visibility
--Paid promotion tips (if budget allows) — Whether and how to use ads to amplify content
--Metrics to track and how to evaluate success 

(Feel free to include current follower count, engagement rate, or content performance if you want deeper suggestions.)

Here’s a sneak peek:

Upgrade now to see this whole month’s prompt videos and more, or buy TODAY’S WOD for just $1.99

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The dark side of AI Therapy

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