Self-Help Ghouls Are Charging People Absurd Prices to Talk to Impersonator Chatbots
Gizmodo • • technology
Key Points:
- Millions of people use AI chatbots for emotional support and advice despite expert warnings, often due to financial constraints limiting access to traditional help.
- The self-help industry has capitalized on this trend by creating AI chatbots that mimic gurus' voices and styles, offering personalized advice through subscription services.
- Prices vary widely, from $1 per month for spiritual teacher David Ghiyam’s AI to $99 per month for Tony Robbins’ life coach bot, with some bots already engaging in millions of conversations.
- While these chatbots simulate personalized coaching, experts acknowledge they lack true understanding of individual users’ situations and merely replicate content from the gurus’ existing materials.
- Some creators, like Gabby Bernstein, defend their AI as an
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