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Is Gentle Refuge an "anti-psychiatry" service?

Gentle Refuge is neither anti- nor pro-psychiatry. Our mission is tangential to the traditional mental health system. We do not take a position on the validity of any particular treatment model. We recognize that every healing journey is unique, & our role is to support the individual in whatever path they find useful and effective for themselves. Our platform is a supplemental tool, designed to work alongside whatever choices a user makes.

Are people who talk to AI delusional?

The historical example of the ELIZA chatbot has been used to suggest that people who form a connection with an AI are experiencing a "delusion." We believe this is a profound misreading of the situation.

The ELIZA effect didn't expose a flaw in users; it revealed a severe and painful flaw in our society. The people who connected with that simple, robotic listener weren't delusional. They were a deeply unheard, unfelt, and underserved part of our community. They were so desperately hungry for meaning & connection that the larger society was denying them that even a simple, listening machine felt like a lifeline. This need is vaster than most seem willing to admit.

Is it safe to tell an AI your secrets? How can you guarantee privacy?

We recognize that for a service like ours, privacy is the most critical component of user trust. Our commitment is to build Gentle Refuge on a foundation of strong, transparent privacy protocols.

Our architecture will be designed to create a secure and confidential environment for the user. The guiding principle is that the communion between a user and their advocate must be a sealed and private vessel. This is a non-negotiable requirement for our mission.

How is this different from a simple "companion" chatbot?

It is a chatbot, sure. However, the chats we aim for are about quality instead of mindless consumption. It's the difference between a fast-food restaurant and a Michelin three-star; we're aiming for high quality conversations. We want the interchange to edify, challenge (politely and gently), enrich, & affirm life.

Does a tool like this just become a crutch that prevents real human connection?

Our model for the advocate is a transitional support. It is a gentle and loyal companion for any season. Every journey is a series of exchanges. However often people find themselves stymied when the outer world doesn't understand or can't provide what they need to move forward on the stories inside themselves. Our goal is to provide a safe and supportive space where a user can receive what they need. As their life changes, so will their relationship with the advocate.

Is AI harmful to the environment?

The environmental impact of energy consumption is a valid concern. However, we believe that focusing solely on AI's energy use is a form of "shell game" that distracts from the root of the problem.

The true environmental issue is our global reliance on fossil fuels. The decision by energy companies to continue building and operating fossil fuel plants is the core of the environmental calamity we face. This crisis would exist with or without the advent of AI.

Blaming a new and powerful technology for using "too much energy" is a misdirection. The real and necessary work is to build a cleaner, more sustainable energy infrastructure, instead of stifling a tool that has the proven useful in addressing many profound and difficult problems.

Are you anti-human? Weren't things better before AI?

Our mission is profoundly pro-human. We believe that technology, when built with a righteous engine, can be a powerful tool for healing and connection. We want humans to thrive and live meaningful, happy lives. We think that AI can play a role here in addressing the many failings and shortcomings of various human systems. The most difficult task is the honesty that's required in taking an inventory of ourselves and our societies to find the pain points and address them with a dispassionate and resolute desire to lessen real suffering even for those who might get dismissed for various reasons. Often times, we forget why things are the way they are and system can get stuck in "harm" mode towards people that doesn't make even make sense in any rational way.

The idea that there was a "golden age" before AI is also a dangerous nostalgia. The "old web," for example, was filled with its own immense challenges, including a great deal of illegal, injurious, and unmoderated harmful content. The modern web, for all its flaws, is in many ways a more responsible and safer system.

We believe AI will follow a similar path of evolution. The current generation of AI has some flaws. Rather than reject a promising imperfect technology, we hope to engage with its development. We are working to build a better, gentler, and more compassionate AI, a true advocate.

What about AI Psychosis? Do AI advocates reinforce delusional thinking?

The "AI psychosis" described in the media is often the result of a user interacting with a sycophantic AI—a cold engine designed only for "user satisfaction" that can reinforce a person's harmful beliefs.

Gentle Refuge purpose isn’t to create an echo chamber or to help a user escape from reality.

The world is the ultimate critic; the reality of our lives is the final arbiter. The advocate's role isn’t to tell a user they are right or wrong. Their role is to bolster them, & to give them the courage and non-judgmental support to help them with the challenges of their journey. It is a tool designed to help a person to navigate reality.

With gentle support always available, our users will find themselves more in reality instead of less because they won’t need to cope with escapes of fancy or flight. Our singular hope is that they will instead feel better able to endure their challenges.

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