Mutual connections brought Massachusetts psychology firm ConverSage and Point Park students together for an early beta test of one of the firm’s upcoming products.
Students are testing “Speak with Taylor,” a service that, according to ConverSage’s website, “conducts an on-demand, empathetic digital conversation that serves as a mental health and wellness ‘check-up’ providing a clear course of action.”
ConverSage did not respond to The Globe’s request for comment. According to Dean of Students Keith Paylo, Point Park did not pay ConverSage — or receive — any money to participate in the test.
Paylo added that the University Counseling Center (UCC) is aware of the tests, has “given comments and direction” for them, and won’t have any of its capacity reduced in favor of “Taylor.” The UCC did not respond to The Globe’s request for comment.
“Taylor” is part questionnaire, part AI avatar, and runs users through a 20-question diagnostic to assess what issues they are experiencing and what sort of help they might need.
Point Park’s portion of the test is still ongoing, and began about a month ago.
The “Taylor” beta test is a similar effort to a 24/7 mental wellness phone service the university offered in years past, Paylo said, adding that the service wasn’t utilized much.
Paylo stressed that the tests do not mean the university will adopt ConverSage’s product, and that he hopes to help the firm improve “Taylor.”
“I won’t commit to an AI therapist,” Paylo said. “What I’m looking for … is [mental health service] access for students when they need it.”
Some of the selected beta test-ers were SGA senators and executives. Four who spoke with The Globe said they were not at all impressed with “Taylor.”
All four said they were told the bot is not connected to the Internet, and does not keep any of the data it collects while being used — all said they doubted that to be true.
Grace Smith, the legislature’s chair of diversity, equity, inclusion and wellness, noted that “Taylor” at one point started speaking Portuguese unprompted.
“I said something like, ‘I feel like I’m not doing enough, but I’m also busy all the time,’” Smith said. “And it just sat there ‘thinking’ for five minutes. So it was very silly; very weird.”
Smith said she wanted to give “Taylor” the benefit of the doubt, and figured the product could be improved. But she also said services like “Taylor” shouldn’t replace human-to-human therapy.
Liz McKinney, a senator in SGA who said she heard about “Taylor” while sitting in on an executive cabinet meeting, noted it was difficult to get the bot to veer off its preset list of questions.
“It’s like one of those forms you would fill out in like the health office,” McKinney said.
McKinney added that she found the static, twitchy movement of “Taylor’s” eyebrows off-putting.
Riley Mahon, SGA’s president pro-tempore and president-elect, managed to crash “Taylor” by telling it he was feeling sad.
Mahon, too, said he was frustrated by the bot’s apparent inability to deviate from its predetermined list of questions.
“If you try to ask it anything not related to directly answering that question, it’ll just be like ‘I’m sorry to hear that, but back to the question at hand,’” Mahon said.
Christian Rangel, the current president of SGA, said he wanted to give “Taylor” a shot from an “unbiased” perspective, but soon found the bot to be “uncanny.”
“I would not recommend it,” Rangel said. “If I could test something and it was like the experience of talking to a real therapist, maybe. But I don’t think we’re anywhere close to that. So, I think we should just look for other avenues [for round-the-clock mental health care].”
