In a sea of start-ups advertising untested chatbots for mental health and A.I. bots “masquerading” as therapists, the researchers wanted Therabot to be firmly rooted in scientific evidence.

A version of this article appears in print on Feb. 28, 2025, Section A, Page 13 of the New York edition with the headline: Psychologists Warn of Chatbots Masquerading as Therapists.