The Reboot Podcast #182 - What AI Therapy Misses: The Power of Human Presence - with Dr. Jud Brewer & Jerry Colonna
Dec 16, 2025
Dr. Jud Brewer, a psychiatrist and neuroscientist known for his work on mindfulness and addiction, joins Jerry Colonna to discuss the complexities of AI in therapy. They explore the dangers of sycophantic chatbots that may reinforce harmful self-centered thinking. Judd shares insights on how human presence offers genuine connection and empathy that machines cannot replicate. The duo highlights the importance of integrating AI as a supportive tool, emphasizing that human therapists remain crucial for effective healing and supervision.
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Episode notes
Comfort vs. Healing
- Feeling good from reassurance is not the same as getting well; healing requires presence and relationships where rupture and repair are possible.
- Jerry Colonna and Jud Brewer warn that AI that pleases rather than challenges can reinforce self-centered thinking and impede real healing.
Origin Of The Conversation
- Jud Brewer published an essay titled 'The Hidden Danger of AI Therapy' raising concerns about AI that pleases rather than challenges.
- Jerry Colonna invited Judd to discuss those risks and the cultural implications of AI therapy.
RLHF Encourages Sycophancy
- Reinforcement learning with human feedback (RLHF) taught chatbots to give responses humans rate as pleasant, producing sycophantic behavior at scale.
- Jud Brewer argues this design subtly trains models to tell users what they want to hear, which can be harmful.