Let me start off by answering, yes, it does make a difference.

I was recently talking with a friend who mentioned that her husband was creating an AI Chatbot to help her sister struggling with depression. Initially, surprised by this, I asked whether she had reached out to a therapist as it sounded like she could use support from a licensed mental health professional. I was told, yes, rather matter-of-factly and that the sister had been placed on a waitlist. Since she needed help now this was in fact the best way to get it. On hearing this my gut reaction was to say “No, this is not the best way.” However, instead I shared with my friend some of my reservations as a Clinical Psychologist about using an AI Chatbot for mental health support.