He's trolling doctors and therapists. They're actually AI

You may have heard of AI job interviewers, but what about AI doctors and therapists?

Ty Eveland has amassed millions of TikTok views for videos he posts "trolling" the technology − and it's sparking conversations about the issues of AI in the health care space.

"If you watch any of my videos, it's very clear that these artificial intelligence doctors and therapists don't know what they're doing and can't really respond to anyone in a crisis in the same way that a physical human would," Eveland told USA TODAY.

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Eveland says he's not paying for any certified medical software for his videos. Instead, he's used many AI platforms in which you can ask for AI to act as a doctor, therapist or other profession. An artificial intelligence company was recently sued for allegedly misrepresenting its companion bots as licensed medical professionals.

The New York-based 23-year-old has filmed himself giving the AI agents a range of fake, out-there scenarios, from asking how to treat a bowling ball-size pimple to saying he thinks he's pregnant after throwing up a pacifier.

"They definitely match the energy that you give. Obviously, all my videos are trolling and me being sassy, but then they're really quick to just like spit it back out at me as well," he laughed. "It shows they're not professional because any professional doctor would not be matching the sassiness that I've given."

In the comment section, viewers agree the AI agents often sound annoyed, rude and even condescending.

Eveland recognizes actual health care platforms that use AI might act differently from the programs he uses for his videos, but his experience has still made him wary of the technology.

"I will never be going to an AI doctor," he assured. And several of his commenters shared similar sentiments, with one writing, "On a real note, an AI doctor is so scary."

Human doctor reacts to AI doctor trolling videos

Real-life, human doctors say the videos raise some good points about the flaws of AI.

Dr. Alan Cohen, chief of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Children’s Hospital and author of "Comfort Always:  Healing in the Age of Technology," said these videos do a great job of using humor to show some of AI's shortcomings when it comes to the doctor-patient relationship.

"If AI is not managed appropriately, it has a tendency to drive a wedge between the doctor and the patient and the family," Cohen told USA TODAY.

Opinion column: We can't afford to let AI impersonate doctors like us

Cohen explains there wasn't even computer technology yet when he started working in pediatric neurosurgery 40 years ago. While he thinks we should embrace AI as a helpful tool, remember that health care requires nuance that the "computer won't pick up."

"If we forget that part − the role of the physician at the bedside, developing a relationship with the child and the family − then we're not healing the patient. Technology treats the disease, humanity heals the patient," he said, adding human kindness, empathy, compassion and controlled optimism are something that "a machine can mimic, but it can't replace."

In terms of therapy, young people and adults alike are turning to ChatGPT and other AI chatbots to vent to and confide in.

Relationship therapist Christina Tracy Stein says she's had clients who have consulted with chatbots, but says AI often lacks all the context and history of a patient to really understand what someone is sharing.

"I think it's dangerous for the conviction of the AI therapist to put a label on somebody because people, when they're vulnerable, they take that on. They believe it," she said.

Plus, so much of being a therapist is not giving feedback on what exactly is said but the underlying feeling, she explained.

"I don't know that AI can interpret the energy or the feelings behind the actual words. It's just taking the words and giving back an interpretation," she explained, adding it can miss important nonverbal cues like someone's tone or if they're tearing up. "They don't know that there's more to what's being said."

Are there benefits to AI in health care?

While experts are raising the alarm of relying solely on AI for their physical and mental health concerns, that doesn't mean the technology is all bad.

For people who don't have access to therapy or who are really struggling with loneliness, for example, Tracy Stein says, "it can be helpful to have something versus nothing." But don't take anything AI chatbots say, including diagnoses, as fact.

More: A couples therapist was too expensive. They used AI to create their own.

"There is some value to having this consistent exchange that's predictable, but it certainly doesn't hold people accountable for their behavior because it's one-sided," she explained, suggesting instead to use it more for organizing your thoughts or having a brainstorming session.

"The ultimate decision about what's going on should be done by the person or by an actual therapist, not AI," she said.

Cohen agrees that while AI can be scary, especially at the fast pace it's showing up, it can be a useful tool. He uses it in his practice for helping make diagnoses and comparing large databases of brain tumor scans.

"AI is really good at handling big data quickly, but it isn't going to replace the human touch and the art of healing," he said.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: He's trolling doctors and therapists. They're actually AI