Luxembourg's crisis service competes with ChatGPT

The crisis service SOS Détresse, which has been providing psychological support in Luxembourg for 50 years, is facing new challenges. On the one hand, the number of people seeking help continues to grow, and on the other hand, more and more people prefer to communicate with AI, such as ChatGPT, rather than with live counsellors.

Service director Nadja Bretz said in an interview with RTL Radio that the number of calls related to depression and suicidal thoughts has increased significantly in recent years. In 2024, the organisation took around 3,700 calls and handled 900 letters - but that's 50% less than the year before. According to Bretz, this could be due to the popularisation of conversational AI such as ChatGPT.

ChatGPT and other artificial intelligence models are increasingly replacing live conversation for humans. According to Bretz, teachers from high schools confirm that some students are interacting with AI on a daily basis. In testing ChatGPT, the service director found that it was able to empathise, provide structured responses and even recommend seeking professional help.

However, there is a dark side: AI can misinform. If false information is deliberately injected into algorithms, it can lead to dangerous consequences for users, especially in crisis states.

The COVID-19 pandemic was a watershed moment. The number of people contacting SOS Détresse due to loneliness doubled from 350 calls in 2019 to 700 during the pandemic. After the restrictions were lifted, the number of such calls stabilised at 550-600 per year, indicating the long-term impact of the crisis.

One reason for this trend is social media, which reduces the amount of live socialising. While seniors can go to clubs like Club Senior, there are almost no such places for people 20-50 years old. Bretz suggests creating new public spaces to reduce isolation in this age range.