I never thought I'd be recommending artificial intelligence as a support system. Then again, I never expected AI would support me in other areas of my life, but it has. Likewise, if you use AI conversation as an additive to professional services like therapy, it can actually be helpful -- with limitations.
When I saw that Headspace had added Ebb, an AI-powered companion, to its membership, I was intrigued. Ebb was built to provide personalized support through a chatbot. You can use Ebb to process thoughts and emotions or find gratitude, as a complement to the meditation and mindfulness content Headspace has been known for since 2012.
Initially an accessible meditation platform, Headspace has pioneered the digital mental health landscape. Ebb's 2024 arrival underscores the role Headspace can play in supporting self-care from a transparent and authentic place.
See also: Should We Be Using AI for Grief? Here's What Experts Think
While an annual Headspace membership costs between $70 and $156, Ebb's addition to the membership plan is free, and interested users can try out a seven-day trial on Headspace's website. (At the time of publishing, the company was preparing for its 50% off Black Friday sale.)
As always, keep in mind that digital and commercial offerings, however helpful they might be, are not a substitute for professional therapy services.
I've already been using artificial intelligence for navigating my day-to-day life. ChatGPT serves as my organizational tool and (somewhat) all-knowing conversational guide. I use Claude for deep-diving introspective recurring themes. (Ever heard of Martin Buber's I-Thou theory?) As someone likely stuck in a rumination-meets-analysis-spiral, I appreciated that Ebb presents an action-oriented model.
Once I created a Headspace account, I could access Ebb from the top right corner of my screen. Then I spent the week laying my emotional turbulence in the hands of my AI companion.
You have two options for interacting with Ebb through its chatbot: as a place to process thoughts and emotions, or as a way to tap into gratitude. With many unanswered existential questions -- and a new tool to ask them -- I spent most of my time navigating situations in my life. (I did sneak in a gratitude list here and there.)
Ebb responded to me with empathy, and often followed up with another question or a helpful suggestion. For instance, with a gentle smiling face, it perceptively noted: "Carly Que, it sounds like you're navigating a significant transition and feeling uncertain about whether you're finding ease or settling for less." It recommended and linked to a visualization exercise "to help you find stillness and stay grounded."
But what I enjoyed the most about Ebb is its ability to redirect you within the Headspace library as a response (and possible solution) to ease your emotional state.
Whereas ChatGPT and Claude would try to understand my perspective and keep the conversation open, Ebb prompted me out of rumination and into action. This was better for helping get me out of my current state, rather than explicitly trying to understand it.
After spending a week with Ebb, I was confident in my ability to navigate the tool but left curious about its specific use case in today's mental health landscape. If Ebb is being used as a therapeutic model, how does Headspace guide its users to seek professional help when needed -- in a way that's both ethical and private?
Ebb, Headspace's new "empathetic companion," was built by Matt Chester, the company's lead project manager for AI, alongside a team of psychologists and data scientists, who trained Ebb in motivational interviewing (a goal-oriented style of communication related to change). They worked with other teams at Headspace to develop Ebb as a piece of comprehensive mental health support.
Though Ebb doesn't provide mental health advice or diagnoses, it will quickly respond to an issue. But it also has its boundaries. If Ebb perceives that your situation is beyond its capabilities (for example, forms of harm to self or others), it promptly shares the number to the national crisis hotline, and also provides other resources to help find care and support. (In the US, call 988 to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Other countries have similar crisis resources.)
For those of you worried about privacy and confidentiality: Unlike AI models that continuously learn from their users, Ebb doesn't adapt over time. While it's empathetic in structure, it doesn't follow and track your ongoing, individual journey. Rather, it's updated on collective, overall data. Though this may not seem as intuitive as other AI-powered systems, it increases data safety.
On that note, a Headspace team of clinical psychologists and engineers routinely examine encrypted chat logs to improve Ebb, but with strict protocols only accessed in emergency scenarios. (Data is deidentified to ensure safe and high-quality responses.) And since Headspace's data has a zero-retention policy, third-party LLM suppliers can't train their models on member data. Your Ebb chatbot data can't be sold.
And yet over time, Ebb will likely become more integrated into the Headspace member experience, according to Chester. At some point, the chatbot might start learning and adapting to you, with the aim of supporting you through your... ebbs and flows. But Chester said Ebb won't be directly monetized; it will continue to exist as a free platform integration.
We live in a fast-paced, overstimulating, highly reactive world. So if there's a tool or a platform that can help combat the feelings that come with being human, I'm all for it.
I don't doubt that Ebb was a strategic business move given all the attention AI's been getting, but from my conversation with Chester, it's clear Ebb was built with time, dedication and care. I'm both curious and excited to see how Ebb evolves in support of its users.
Let's talk about cost. Therapy is expensive -- it can take time and dedicated human support to work through issues. It's often also a necessity, even if it seems like a privilege. The Headspace platform, including Ebb, isn't a replacement, but it can be a tool in addition to therapy -- one for navigating the human experience and providing resources in response. With a seven-day trial (14-day trial if you're considering an annual subscription) you've got a chance to explore and experiment without getting locked in.
While there are free AI-powered tools accessible to you for discourse and conversation (and the occasional affirmation), Ebb exists within Headspace's membership. That would get you access to a library of breathwork tools, mindfulness activities and prompts for situational and timely events. At the same time, there are limits to what it can give you, including a lack of personalized, one-to-one support.
I, for one, appreciate what it has to offer. We all need support, and when the world around us seems out of control or unreal, turning to someone -- or something -- is not only useful but also imperative.
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