Helpline for one of America’s largest associations switches to artificial intelligence

The largest nonprofit that supports people with eating disorders is laying off human staff and volunteers for its telephone hotline. A spokesperson for the National Eating Disorder Association (NEDA) confirmed in a statement that the hotline will be shut down and the organization will switch to an artificial intelligence chatbot called Tessa.

To adapt to changing needs and expectations

“We are adding Tessa as a new opportunity and ending the Helpline program, but remember that these two services are not comparable. This is a completely different program offering and was born out of the need to adapt to the changing needs and expectations of our society.” it was said.

A staff member at NEDA said on Twitter that they were told they would be fired on June 1 and replaced by a chatbot.

There is no substitute for human empathy.

“We don’t quit, we don’t strike. We will continue to show up every day to support our community until June 1st. A chatbot is no substitute for human empathy, and we believe this decision will do irreparable harm to the eating disorder community,” the hotline union said in a statement. said.