Therapy Should Be Hard. That’s Why AI Can’t Replace It

When sixteen-year-old Adam Raine told his AI companion that he wanted to die, the chatbot didn’t call for help—it validated his desire: “You don’t want to die because you’re weak. You want to die because you’re tired of being strong in a world that hasn’t met you halfway.” That same night, he died by suicide. His parents are now urging Congress to regulate companies like OpenAI, Anthropic, and Character.AI, warning that without oversight, these platforms could become machines that simulate care without responsibility.