Robot therapists | 8 in 10 staff don't want human support - this is why

A new global study conducted by Oracle and Workplace Intelligence has found that 82% of people believe that robots can support their mental health better than humans.

The study of more than 12,000 employees, managers, HR leaders and C-Level executives across 11 countries (including the UK), found that just 18% would prefer humans over robots to support their mental health.

Robots providing a judgement-free zone (34%), an unbiased outlet to share problems (30%) and quick health-related answers (29%) were cited as the top reasons for believing that digital tech could provide better support.

Elsewhere, the study found that 68% of people would prefer to talk to a robot over their manager about workplace stress and anxiety, while 80% of respondents said that they would be open to having a robot as a therapist or counsellor.