The lecture
Policymakers increasingly promote mental health chatbots to meet rising care demands. This talk examines how sociotechnical imaginaries (STIs) shape the development of these tools. Based on fifteen interviews with designers and developers, I show that chatbots are viewed as sociotechnical artefacts embedded in imaginaries of care that guide and mobilise actors. The field is marked by a univocal threat-solution narrative positioning chatbots as the preferred answer to current system pressures. At the same time, imagined futures of mental healthcare remain ambivalent, especially regarding shifts in therapist-client-bot relations. Finally, the risks of chatbot use are ambiguous, as they defy clear definition due to AI opacity and the challenges of anticipating long-term impacts in sensitive care settings.
Prof. Dr Sebastian Merkel
Sebastian Merkel is Professor for Health and E-Health at the Medical Faculty at Ruhr University Bochum. He has a background in political science, medical sciences, and health services research. His research focuses on the co-design and implementation of digital technologies in healthcare and social care. He has been involved in several national and international projects with a focus on applied research and is currently responsible for a project on entrepreneurship in digital health in Germany.
