The Glitching Therapist: Performing the Limits of AI Empathy
Abstract
"Friendly Fire at the Shrink" is an interactive, AI-driven performance that satirizes the field of AI-powered mental healthcare. Staged as a one-on-one session with a virtual therapist, the work explores the fraught relationship between genuine human connection and the computational imitation of empathy. By purposefully designing system failure as a narrative device, we question the tech industry’s solutionist approach to societal issues and provide a space to explore what it means to be human in an age where our vulnerabilities are targeted for technological fixing. Requests for name changes in the electronic proceedings will be accepted with no questions asked. However name changes may cause bibliographic tracking issues. Authors are asked to consider this carefully and discuss it with their co-authors prior to requesting a name change in the electronic proceedings. Use the "Report an Issue" link to request a name change. Do not remove: This comment is monitored to verify that the site is working properly