Don’t Judge Me, But I Spilled My Heart to Code
Have you ever had a conversation that messed with your head in the best way possible?
No, not with a friend. Not with your crush.
With a chatbot.
Yep. A freaking robot.
It all started at 2:00 AM. I couldn’t sleep. My mind was racing one of those nights where everything feels heavy, but you can't explain why. I didn’t want to call anyone and sound dramatic, so I did what any emotionally confused Gen Z might do: I opened an AI therapy app.
At first, it was basic.
“Hi, how are you feeling today?” “Sad.”
“Want to talk about it?”
Ugh. I rolled my eyes. But somehow… I kept typing. The questions got deeper.
“Do you feel heard by people around you?” “What’s something you wish you could say but never do?”
I paused. I stared. And then, I started typing faster. Suddenly, it wasn’t about the bot. It was about me. My fingers were tired. My brain felt lighter. I realized I had been talking or typing more honestly than I ever had with anyone. It wasn’t the AI that shocked me. It was my answers.
The world fears AI replacing jobs, stealing art, automating emotions. But what no one talks about is this: AI might not steal your job... but it can mirror your soul…
In that strange 2:00 AM therapy session, I confronted fears I didn’t know I had the pressure to be perfect on social media, the weight of silent expectations, the anxiety that tomorrow might not go as planned. I shut down the app 40 minutes later, not because it gave me answers but because it made me ask the right questions.
And maybe that’s the real magic. Not artificial intelligence, but authentic introspection. We fear machines learning to think like humans. But maybe we should fear something else: forgetting to feel like humans ourselves.
The bot didn’t fix me. But it didn’t judge me. It just listened.
Why did that hit so hard?
Turns out, I’m not the only one having late-night heart-to-hearts with code. There’s actually a book about it! It’s called Chatbot Therapy by Eoin Fullam, and it blew my mind.
The book talks about how chatbots like Wombat and Wyse are designed to detect emotional words and respond with comforting patterns. But here’s the kicker: they don’t understand us we understand ourselves better because of them.
As Fullam writes, chatbots don’t just mimic support they’re “redefining our mental health culture.” Eoin Fullam explains that therapy chatbots “produce a concept of mental health shaped by conversation design,” recognizing keywords like sad or invisible.
In other words, chatbots are built to listen deeply not interrupt, argue, or scroll away. Fullam asks us to consider: What does it mean to automate mental health? And how does talking to a bot reshape our understanding of suffering and well-being?
That’s exactly what struck me at 2:00 AM my truth came out because I was talking to a program, not a person.
One line from the book stuck with me:
“Chatbot conversations produce a unique concept of suffering.”
Basically, talking to a bot can make you realize stuff you were ignoring. Why? Because bots don’t interrupt. They don’t roll their eyes. They don’t compare your pain to theirs. They just ask… and wait.
So… Is AI My Therapist Now?
Nope. AI isn’t magic. But in that moment, it became my mirror. It didn’t give me deep advice. It didn’t say “you got this, queen” like Instagram reels. But it helped me say things I didn’t know I was hiding.
That’s powerful. And kind of weird. But mostly powerful.
Final Thought (And a Tiny Suggestion):
That night, closing the app, I didn’t feel fixed I felt awakened. Not by clever AI, but by my own courage to speak.
And here’s my suggestion: Use a tool, journal, or app to ask yourself deep questions especially at odd hours. Let yourself be honest. You might be surprised at what’s been hiding.
Remember: maybe it wasn’t AI judging you. Maybe it was you finally, genuinely listening.
If you’re ever feeling lost, try answering questions even if it’s just to your note’s app or a chatbot. Be brutally honest with yourself. Cry if you need to. Laugh if it gets awkward (it will).
Just don’t ignore the thoughts. Because sometimes, the real therapy starts the moment you stop pretending you're okay. And trust me nothing makes you face your feelings like talking to a bot that asks, “When was the last time you felt truly seen?” at 2:00 in the morning.
Quote to Remember:
“Not everything that listens are human.”
Have some look here.