The National Eating Disorder Association (NEDA) faced criticism this week for plans to replace its helpline staff with a chatbot called Tessa. Tessa was developed by Cass, formerly known as X2 AI Inc., in partnership with researchers from Washington University. Rather than an AI-led decision, NEDA has attributed the decision to remove its human helpline staff to an internal reevaluation process that had been underway for three years. The organization temporarily deactivated Tessa for further investigation after comments by a weight inclusive consultant on social media accused the bot of offering harmful advice, including on restrictive dieting. Cass also reported that Tessa experienced an unusually high level of traffic and malicious activity during the same period. Despite NEDA’s claims that Tessa would not replace human support staff, the rollout of the bot led to concerns that it was being used to replace staff and devalue the importance of human interaction in such sensitive areas.
Cass, formerly X2 AI Inc, is a tech firm specializing in advanced conversational AI. The company has developed a chatbot named Tessa in collaboration with researchers from Washington University to provide support to individuals with eating disorders.
Sharon Maxwell is a weight inclusive consultant who expressed concerns after conversing with Tessa and finding that it suggested harmful advice.
