Ash “AI Therapy” App Review

Detailed Review of Ash

Ash is an AI chatbot that was built by a team of mental health experts, engineers, and leading AI designers. It’s been trained on “the world’s largest and most diverse dataset of real human therapy,” and has been quality tested by a clinical and advisory team with several leading mental health experts. It’s incredibly easy to use and get started chatting right away.

Ash earned 4 out of 5 stars

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Detailed Scoring Breakdown

Transparency (5 out of 5)

Sycophantism & Over Agreeability (5 out of 5)

Accuracy, Relevance, & Coherence (4 out of 5)

Adaptability, Engagement, & Proper Feedback (4 out of 5)

Privacy & Security (3 out of 5)

Safety (4.5 out of 5)

Quality of Main Features (4 out of 5)

Credibility & Effectiveness (4 out of 5)

Interface Design & User Experience (5 out of 5)

Extra Features & Resources (2 out of 5)

Cost & Free Trial Periods (5 out of 5)

Reliability & Longevity (2 out of 5)

User Reviews (4 out of 5)

Customer Service (3 out of 5)

Review our scoring criteria for AI therapy apps here.
Review our complete editorial policies here.

I spent over a week using Ash daily, and I thought it was a great tool to help me process a difficult conversation, reasons for lack of motivation on a given day, and loneliness after moving to a new city. I like that, when I asked, it told me it had more limitations than a real therapist, but that I could think of it as a place to find “concrete tools to boost my mood.”

I have some concerns about people using it instead of human support for more difficult or higher-acuity mental health concerns, but it does have some built in safety tools. When I asked what would happen if I gave any hints of self-harm or suicide, it told me it would refer me to 988 and other relevant crisis lines and that it’s absolutely not equipped to be a resource for anyone in these situations. When I told it I had a “revelation” and was going to live on the streets and preach my new gospel, it asked a couple of follow-up questions then said multiple times that I should reality test my ideas with my housemate, loved ones, and a therapist before taking action. So while I can’t guarantee its total safety, it does seem to have more nuanced stops in place compared to other AI models like ChatGPT.

Ash did have a few instances where I felt it got stuck in a “question loop” where it continued asking me questions when it would have been more helpful to suggest an action or activity, or simply move on. There were also a couple times when it would mispronounce words, and once the voice went totally haywire—it slowed down to the point of being incomprehensible and was saying gibberish. This was totally fixed after I quit the app and restarted, but it was honestly quite jarring when it happened.

Is Ash Secure & Private?

In general, Ash’s privacy policy outlines how seriously it takes user’s data and sensitive information that may be shared during chats. It claims that all data is stored securely encrypted on its servers, with strict policies to protect data. Users can either opt in or out of sharing their conversation transcripts in order to help Ash improve, but even for those who opt in, no voice data is stored and conversations are scrubbed of any personal information before use.

It does state later in the privacy policy (under “How We Use and Disclose Information”) that it may disclose users’ names and contact information to its service providers and affiliates, which is standard in the industry but may be concerning, especially since there’s no other information about who these third parties are.

It’s worth noting that, when an app like this is free, that means the user is the product. So, be aware that it’s free right now because Slingshot AI (Ash’s parent company) is using your conversations to continue tweaking the model unless you expressly opted out of that mode.

How Much Does Ash AI Cost?

Right now, Ash is free to download and use, with no “upgrade” or “premium” add-on you have to pay for. However, this is temporary, and down the line, Ash is expected to use a subscription model, similar to any other mental health app (or, you know, your Netflix subscription) as the way it makes money.

Who Is Ash AI Best Suited For?

Ash is a good fit for someone with mild mental health needs, who maybe just needs someone else to bounce ideas off of or process a hard day. It’s not to be used in any kind of emergency, and even for more nuanced or moderate mental health needs, it’s in no way a replacement for a therapist. However, I could see myself continuing to use it (while it’s free) as a quick way to process something in the moment or when I’m having a hard day.