All posts tagged: substitute

Faith communities must lead on the hunger crisis — but they can’t substitute for US policy

Faith communities must lead on the hunger crisis — but they can’t substitute for US policy

Published by Sam Flores

(RNS) — This past week, a single mother in America’s Southwest tried to find out why her food assistance benefits — once a reliable safeguard for her family’s dining table — were gone. She is not alone. Recent federal legislation has enacted the deepest cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program in the program’s history — a reduction of nearly $187 billion over 10 years. The Farm Bill that just passed the House of Representatives locks in those cuts through 2031, without restoring a dollar of what was lost. And the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s annual household food security reports — 30 years of data measuring the state of hunger in America — have been discontinued.  Nationwide, 1 in 5 children — nearly 14 million kids — are not getting the food they need, a problem especially prevalent in families with single mothers. This was not inevitable. In 2021, child poverty dropped by nearly half over the year prior, to its lowest level ever recorded, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. That’s because the government …

‘It will never be an emotional substitute’: Readers on whether AI can replace human therapy

‘It will never be an emotional substitute’: Readers on whether AI can replace human therapy

Published by Daniella Wilson

Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check email Get our free Health Check email Lauran Ware’s experiment using ChatGPT as a therapist has divided Independent readers, prompting a debate about the role of AI in mental health support. Many agreed with the article’s central argument: AI cannot replicate human connection. Several readers argued that, without emotions or lived experience, chatbots can offer practical advice but will always fall short of genuine empathy or relational depth. For them, therapy is as much about being understood as it is about problem-solving. Others, however, highlighted AI’s strengths. Some noted that chatbots can draw on vast bodies of psychological knowledge, sometimes exceeding what individual therapists have read, and can provide useful insights or summaries on demand. A few described using AI as a “sounding board” – valuing its objectivity, privacy and ability to clarify complex thoughts without judgement. Accessibility emerged as a key theme. Readers pointed out that AI could offer support to those …