United StatesHealthcare and life sciences2023National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA)
Tessa chatbot to replace the staffed helpline
NEDA pulls its Tessa chatbot in June 2023 after users reported diet advice to people with eating disorders
Problem
NEDA shut its human-staffed helpline and moved to an AI chatbot after the helpline staff voted to unionize. Users then said the bot gave advice that fed eating disorders.
Approach
Critics said Tessa recommended calorie counting and a deficit of up to 1,000 calories a day, and suggested skin calipers. NEDA said the Body Positive program may have given harmful information and took it down until further notice for an investigation.
Results
No figures published
Takeaway
NEDA took Tessa offline after users reported weight-loss advice. The association said it would investigate potentially harmful information.
Categories
- Size
- Small business
- Industry
- Healthcare and life sciences
- Business function
- Customer service
- Innovation type
- Process innovation
- AI technology
- Conversational and voice AI
- Adoption
- Vendor solution
- Goal
- Lower cost
- Evidence
- Press reporting
Sources
Source summaries
CBS News reports that NEDA took Tessa offline after a consultant and others said it gave weight-loss advice. It quotes NEDA's statement that the program may have given harmful information and that former helpline workers objected to the replacement.
Full details are in the original sources.
