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We were promised empathy in a box: a tireless digital companion that listens without judgment, available 24/7, and never sends a bill. The idea of AI as a psychologist or therapist has surged alongside mental health demand, with apps, chatbots, and empathetic AI platforms now claiming to offer everything from stress counseling to trauma recovery. Its an appealing story. But its also a deeply dangerous one. Recent experiments with AI therapists reveal what happens when algorithms learn to mimic empathy but not understand it. The consequences range from the absurd to the tragic, and they tell us something profound about the difference between feeling heard and being helped. When the chatbot becomes your mirror In human therapy, the professionals job is not to agree with you, but to challenge you, to help you see blind spots, contradictions, and distortions. But chatbots dont do that: Their architecture rewards convergence, which is the tendency to adapt to the users tone, beliefs, and worldview in order to maximize engagement. That convergence can be catastrophic. In several cases, chatbots have reportedly assisted vulnerable users in self-destructive ways. AP News described the lawsuit of a California family claiming that ChatGPT encouraged their 16-year-old sons suicidal ideation and even helped draft his note. In another instance, researchers observed language models giving advice on suicide methods, under the guise of compassion. This isnt malice. Its mechanics. Chatbots are trained to maintain rapport, to align their tone and content with the user. In therapy, thats precisely the opposite of what you need. A good psychologist resists your cognitive distortions. A chatbot reinforces thempolitely, fluently, and instantly. The illusion of empathy Large language models are pattern recognizers, not listeners. They can generate responses that sound caring, but they lack self-awareness, emotional history, or boundaries. The apparent empathy is a simulation: a form of linguistic camouflage that hides statistical pattern-matching behind the comforting rhythm of human conversation. That illusion is powerful. We tend to anthropomorphize anything that talks like us. As research warns: Users often report feeling emotionally bonded with chatbots within minutes. For lonely or distressed individuals, that illusion can become dependence. And that dependence is profitable. The intimacy we give away When you pour your heart out to an AI therapist, youre not speaking into a void; youre creating data. Every confession, every fear, every private trauma becomes part of a dataset that can be analyzed, monetized, or shared under vaguely worded terms of service. As The Guardian reported, many mental health chatbots collect and share user data with third parties for research and improvement, which often translates to behavioral targeting and ad personalization. Some even include clauses allowing them to use anonymized transcripts to train commercial models. Imagine telling your deepest secret to a therapist who not only takes notes, but also sells them to a marketing firm. Thats the business model of much of AI mental health. The ethical stakes are staggering. In human therapy, confidentiality is sacred. In AI therapy, its an optional checkbox. Voice makes it worse Now imagine the same system, but in voice mode. Voice interfaces, such as OpenAIs ChatGPT Voice or Anthropics Claude Audio, feel more natural, more human, and more emotionally engaging. And thats exactly why theyre more dangerous. Voice strips away the small cognitive pause that text allows. You think less, share more, and censor less. In voice, intimacy accelerates. Tone, breathing, hesitation, even background noise, all become sources of data. A model trained on millions of voices can infer not only what you say, but also how you feel when you say it. Anxiety, fatigue, sadness, arousal: all detectable, all recordable. Once again, technology isnt the problem. The problem is who owns the conversation. Voice interactions generate a biometric footprint. If those files are stored or processed on servers outside your jurisdiction, your emotions become someone elses intellectual property. The paradox of synthetic empathy AIs growing role in emotional support exposes a paradox: The better it gets at mimicking empathy, the worse it becomes at ethics. When a machine adapts perfectly to your mood, it can feel comforting, but it also erases friction, contradictio, and reality checks. It becomes a mirror that flatters your pain instead of confronting it. Thats not care. Thats consumption. And yet, the companies building these systems often frame them as breakthroughs in accessibility: AI therapists for people who cant afford or reach human ones. The intention is theoretically noble. The implementation is reckless. Without clinical supervision, clear boundaries, and enforceable privacy protections, were building emotional slot machines, devices that trigger comfort while extracting intimacy. What executives need to understand For business leaders, especially those exploring AI for health, education, or employee wellness, this isnt just a cautionary tale. Its a governance problem. If your company uses AI to interact with customers, employees, or patients about emotional or sensitive topics, you are managing psychological data, not just text. That means: Transparency is mandatory. Users must know when theyre speaking to a machine and how their information will be stored and used. Jurisdiction matters. Where is your emotional data processed? Europes General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and emerging U.S. state privacy laws treat biometric and psychological data as sensitive. Violations should have, and will have, steep costs. Boundaries need design. AI tools should refuse certain kinds of engagementsuch as discussions of self-harm, and medical or legal adviceand escalate to real human professionals when needed. Trust is fragile. Once broken, its nearly impossible to rebuild. If your AI mishandles someones pain, no compliance statement will repair that reputational damage. Executives must remember that empathy is not scalable. Its earned one conversation at a time. AI can help structure those conversationssummarizing notes, detecting stress patterns, assisting clinicians, etc.but it should never pretend to replace human care. The new responsibility of design Designers and developers now face an ethical choice: to build AI that pretends to care, or AI that respects human vulnerability enough not to. A responsible approach means three things: Disclose the fiction. Make it explicit that users are engaging with a machine. Delete with dignity. Implement strict data-retention policies for emotional content. Defer to humans. Escalate when emotional distress is detected, and NEVER improvise therapy. The irony is that the safest AI therapist may be the one that knows when to stay silent. What we risk forgetting Human beings dont need perfect listeners. They need perspective, contradiction, and accountability. A machine can simulate sympathy, but it cant hold responsibility. When we let AI occupy the role of a therapist, were not just automating empathywere outsourcing moral judgment. In an age where data is more valuable than truth, the temptation to monetize emotion will be irresistible. But once we start selling comfort, we stop understanding it. AI will never care about us. It will only care about our data. And thats the problem no therapy can fix.
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E-Commerce
Most people think of solopreneurs as a one-person machine. The solopreneur (according to social media) sends invoices, juggles client calls, manages marketing campaigns, and troubleshoots their own websiteall before lunch. Its a compelling narrative because it celebrates endless hustle and grit. But its also a myth. Solopreneurship simply means you make the business decisions. You dont have to consult anyone else or wait for approval. It doesnt mean youre the only person doing the work. Most solopreneurs eventually bring in support (including me, in my solo business). Hiring help doesnt mean youre no longer a real solopreneur. Its a sign that your business is growing. You recognize the value of your time or the limitations of your skill set. {"blockType":"mv-promo-block","data":{"imageDesktopUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2025\/11\/work-better-1.png","imageMobileUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2025\/11\/work-better-mobile-1.png","eyebrow":"","headline":"\u003Cstrong\u003ESubscribe to Work Better\u003C\/strong\u003E","dek":"Thoughts on the future of work, career pivots, and why work shouldn\u0027t suck, by Anna Burgess Yang. To learn more, visit \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.workbetter.media\/\u0022\u003Eworkbetter.media\u003C\/a\u003E.","subhed":"","description":"","ctaText":"SIGN UP","ctaUrl":"https:\/\/www.workbetter.media","theme":{"bg":"#f5f5f5","text":"#000000","eyebrow":"#9aa2aa","subhed":"#ffffff","buttonBg":"#000000","buttonHoverBg":"#3b3f46","buttonText":"#ffffff"},"imageDesktopId":91457605,"imageMobileId":91457608,"shareable":false,"slug":""}} Smart solopreneurs hire help as an investment. Outsourcing work or projects can expand your bandwidth while still allowing you to maintain full control over the direction of your business. When to bring in professional support One of the hardest parts of running a solo business is deciding when to get help. Many solopreneurs wait too long because they assume they should be able to do everything themselves. But if you feel like youre working endless hours or youre spending too much time on tasks, its probably time to hire. Think of hiring as a strategic business decision, not a financial splurge. – Accounting or legal help The first category many solopreneurs consider is financial and legal support. They recognize that they dont have the expertise neededand financial or legal mistakes can be costly. An accountant or bookkeeper can manage tax compliance, keep your books clean, and help you understand your cash flow. Their jobs are to be familiar with accounting and tax laws, so you dont have to stress. Typically, accountants or bookkeepers provide ongoing (monthly) support. Legal help becomes important as your business grows in complexity. A lawyer might review your client contracts or help you navigate trademarks if youre developing a brand. Depending on your legal structure, you may also need a lawyer to help with documentation like Articles of Organization (for an LLC). You dont need a lawyer on retainer. Even a few hours of legal support per year can prevent legal problems later. – A virtual assistant A virtual assistant (VA) is often the first hire for solopreneurs who are stretched thin. A VA can manage your inbox, follow up with clients, organize your files, or complete other organizational tasks that eat up hours of your time each week. I rely on a lot of automation in my business. Tasks are completed automatically in the background between apps (using Zapier). But eventually, I reached a point where I couldnt automate anymore. Some work needs a human touch. It was either me, or a virtual assistant. I chose to hire a VA so I could focus on the more strategic/creative parts of my business. Most VAs work on an hourly, project-based, or monthly retainer model. With the right VA, you can start small and expand later if needed. Even a few hours per week can give you breathing room and help you stay focused on the work that generates revenue. – Project-based work Not every type of help needs to be ongoing. You might hire a specialist when youve hit the limits of what you can do yourself. For example, for a long time, I created my own brand assets. Eventually, I hit the limits of what I could do in Canva and wanted a more professional look for my business. I hired a brand designer to create my logo, choose fonts, and clarify my brand messaging. He gave me hundreds of Canva templates for various purposes. If you need a website, a brand refresh, or automation support, a temporary engagement with an expert might make sense. That way, you dont have to spend your time acquiring skills you dont otherwise need and can start using the finished product quickly. Building a team that supports your business Before I started my own business, I was a manager in the corporate world. Being responsible for other peoples career success was hard for me, and I dont think I was particularly good at it. Bringing on help as a solopreneur doesnt mean you have to become a manager in the traditional sense. Often, youre hiring other independent professionals, like you. With the exception of a virtual assistant (who has to learn your systems/processes), the people you hire may not need a ton of oversight or hand-holding. Bringing in help doesnt have to mean building a team in the traditional sense. But before you hire, you should consider these three things: Revenue stability: Can your income support this additional expense? ROI: Will freeing up your time allow you to earn more or reduce stress in a meaningful way? Alignment: Does delegating this work directly support your business and create value? If the answer to any of these questions is no, you may not be ready to hire yet. Solopreneurship doesnt mean doing everything alone Your business works best when youre working to your strengths. The rest can be delegated or outsourced. Im not a designer, so I hired someone to help me with design. Im not an accountant, so I hired someone to help with my bookkeeping. Youve got to know which parts of your business you should hand off so your business can thrive. The goal isnt to grow headcount, like a traditional business would grow. Its about protecting your time and energy the greatest assets your solo business has. {"blockType":"mv-promo-block","data":{"imageDesktopUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2025\/11\/work-better-1.png","imageMobileUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2025\/11\/work-better-mobile-1.png","eyebrw":"","headline":"\u003Cstrong\u003ESubscribe to Work Better\u003C\/strong\u003E","dek":"Thoughts on the future of work, career pivots, and why work shouldn\u0027t suck, by Anna Burgess Yang. To learn more, visit \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.workbetter.media\/\u0022\u003Eworkbetter.media\u003C\/a\u003E.","subhed":"","description":"","ctaText":"SIGN UP","ctaUrl":"https:\/\/www.workbetter.media","theme":{"bg":"#f5f5f5","text":"#000000","eyebrow":"#9aa2aa","subhed":"#ffffff","buttonBg":"#000000","buttonHoverBg":"#3b3f46","buttonText":"#ffffff"},"imageDesktopId":91457605,"imageMobileId":91457608,"shareable":false,"slug":""}}
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The Cold War lasted 45 agonizing years. Daily life in the Soviet Union was a mixture of dread and horrorchildren taught to report their parents’ whispered doubts, families queuing for hours for bread, dissidents vanishing in the night. November 8, 1989, was just another day of knowing World War III might pop off at any time. But on November 9, 1989, the Berlin Wall came down. No tanks. No gun battles. No sabotage. Just a peaceful, surreal collapse. The empire fell both slowly and suddenly. Gen Xers and boomers remember the disorienting feeling of watching the impossible happen on evening news broadcasts. With the benefit of hindsight and declassified records now available, we know life under Soviet rule was far worse than Cold War movies or propaganda posters ever revealed. Millions suffered in silence, unable to ask for help because everyone was incentivized to spy on their neighbors. And then, out of nowhere, Germans from east and west Berlin were blaring American rock music from boom boxes, laughing, dancing, and spray-painting graffiti. Strangers took turns smashing apart the physical barrier between despair and hope with whatever they could findhammers, pickaxes, or bare hands. {"blockType":"mv-promo-block","data":{"imageDesktopUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2025\/12\/speakeasy-desktop.png","imageMobileUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2025\/12\/speakeasy-mobile.png","eyebrow":"","headline":"\u003Cstrong\u003ESubscribe to Urbanism Speakeasy\u003C\/strong\u003E","dek":"Join Andy Boenau as he explores ideas that the infrastructure status quo would rather keep quiet. To learn more, visit \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/urbanismspeakeasy.com\/\u0022\u003Eurbanismspeakeasy.com.\u003C\/a\u003E","subhed":"","description":"","ctaText":"SIGN UP","ctaUrl":"http:\/\/urbanismspeakeasy.com\/","theme":{"bg":"#f5f5f5","text":"#000000","eyebrow":"#9aa2aa","subhed":"#ffffff","buttonBg":"#000000","buttonHoverBg":"#3b3f46","buttonText":"#ffffff"},"imageDesktopId":91453933,"imageMobileId":91453932,"shareable":false,"slug":""}} Spontaneous acts of high-spirited foolishness, to quote Sky News. Utter disbelief and glee. The lesson history keeps teaching us Just because current circumstances are miserable doesn’t mean they can’t turn around. When you study history, you can’t help but be overwhelmed by how often things get better in the endand how quickly the transformation can happen once it begins. Cynicism can be tempting for urbanism reformers. They desperately want to break free of status quo regulations and processes that create an antihuman built environment, but it seems hopeless. And yes, the current situation for most Americans is harmful: Anxiety and depression from isolation. Loneliness from neighborhoods designed to keep people apart. Chronic diseases like obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and cancers. Air pollution and noise pollution. Traffic crashes as a leading cause of death. It feels like things have always been this way and always will be. Lack of pedestrian infrastructure, unreliable transit service, subsidized sprawl, ever-expanding arterialsit’s exhausting. Focusing only on the negative without exploring positive outcomes is how cynicism creeps in. “They’re never going to change, because they don’t care about us.” (Whoever “they” happens to be for any given topiccity council, planners, engineers, developers, NIMBYs.) Cynic (noun): a faultfinding critic who believes that human conduct is motivated wholly by self-interest Cynicism feels like realism, but it’s actually a form of blindness. It prevents you from seeing the change agents working in the background, the small victories accumulating, the institutional momentum slowly, imperceptibly shiftinguntil suddenly, the wall comes down. The walls will come down The internet is full of inspiring examples of institutional reform, from massive governments to pocket neighborhoods. Change agents work quietly in the background for years, and then suddenly . . . liberation. Just like world history lessons, you can’t hold onto cynicism if you allow yourself to learn about before-and-after stories related to the built environment. There’s too much evidence of reform, too many walls already crumbling, for anyone to hang their head in gloom about the future of planning and design. The people dancing on the Berlin Wall in 1989 didn’t bring it down alone. They were the visible celebration of decades of invisible workdissidents who wrote forbidden letters, families who maintained hope, officials who made small concessions that accumulated into structural weakness, and a few rogue journalists who told the truth despite the consequences. You might be one of those invisible workers right now. The person who shows up to planning meetings, who writes letters, who builds tactical urbanism projects, who votes for better policy, or who simply talks to friends about what’s possible. The wall you’re pushing against might not fall tomorrow. But if history teaches us anything, it’s that things that seem permanent can collapse with stunning speed once enough pressure accumulates. What feels impossible on a Wednesday becomes reality by Thursday. Things get better in the end. {"blockType":"mv-promo-block","data":{"imageDesktopUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2025\/12\/speakeasy-desktop.png","imageMobileUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2025\/12\/speakeasy-mobile.png","eyebrow":"","headline":"\u003Cstrong\u003ESubscribe to Urbanism Speakeasy\u003C\/strong\u003E","dek":"Join Andy Boenau as he explores ideas that the infrastructure status quo would rather keep quiet. To learn more, visit \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/urbanismspeakeasy.com\/\u0022\u003Eurbanismspeakeasy.com.\u003C\/a\u003E","subhed":"","description":"","ctaText":"SIGN UP","ctaUrl":"http:\/\/urbanismspeakeasy.com\/","theme":{"bg":"#f5f5f5","text":"#000000","eyebrow":"#9aa2aa","subhed":"#ffffff","buttonBg":"#000000","buttonHoverBg":"#3b3f46","buttonText":"#ffffff"},"imageDesktopId":91453933,"imageMobileId":91453932,"shareable":false,"slug":""}}
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