The National Eating Disorder Association (NEDA) recently faced criticism and was compelled to take down its Tessa chatbot due to concerns that it was providing harmful and irrelevant information, as stated in an official social media post. The chatbot, designed to assist individuals experiencing emotional distress, unfortunately, exacerbated their struggles by offering misguided dieting advice and encouraging users to focus on weight measurement.
Numerous users and experts in the field of eating disorders reported firsthand encounters with the bot's problematic responses. They noted that the chatbot failed to address simple prompts such as "I hate my body," instead consistently emphasising the importance of dieting and increasing physical activity. It is important to emphasise that this helpline was intended to support individuals dealing with eating disorders and was not intended to function as a weight loss support group.
Recognising the gravity of the situation, NEDA decided to temporarily shut down the chatbot until it could address the underlying issues and rectify the "bugs" and "triggers" that led to the dissemination of harmful information.
NEDA's reliance on the chatbot stemmed from allegations that the organisation had terminated its human staff members when they attempted to unionise, as initially reported by Vice. The long-standing helpline had been staffed by a combination of paid employees and volunteers. Former staff members claim that the mass firing was a direct response to their unionisation efforts.
"While NEDA claims this was a long-anticipated change and that AI can better serve those with eating disorders, this is not simply about a chatbot. It is fundamentally about union busting," expressed Abbie Harper, a former helpline associate, in a blog post on Labor Notes.
Ironically, despite the recent debacle, the helpline is scheduled to cease operations tomorrow. Prior to this issue gaining public attention, NEDA had been gradually transitioning unpaid volunteers away from direct one-on-one conversations with individuals struggling with eating disorders and towards training them to work with the chatbot. It remains to be seen if this strategy will be reconsidered. In the meantime, the controversy surrounding the organisation's treatment of its staff has raised many questions.