Today’s big topic: Many young Danes use AI chatbots as a therapist: »It can be downright dangerous«
What’s happening?
An accelerating number of Danes have begun using ChatGPT and other AI chatbots to talk through difficult thoughts and their deepest feelings.
A survey by Psykiatrifonden shows that 4 in 10 Danes aged 18 to 29 have used a chatbot to talk about their mental health or personal challenges. The same is true for 3 in 10 Danes in their 30s and for one in four in their 40s.
Marianne Skjold, director of Psykiatrifonden, says an AI bot can be a useful conversation partner for practical matters, but people should be very cautious about using it as an adviser or therapist.
»The development has already spiraled out of control, and every day more and more people are using chatbots to manage mental challenges. But there are no guardrails or frameworks for the technology, and if you use it uncritically, it can be downright dangerous«, she says.
Why it matters!
Several studies have shown that, in health-related contexts, generative AI bots often deliver falsehoods in a convincing voice. Most recently, a new research project published in the medical journal BMJ Open found that answers to health questions from the five most popular AI bots are problematic in nearly every other case.
According to Danish experts, people’s use of AI chatbots for mental health issues is concerning: »It’s an uncontrolled global social experiment unfolding right in front of us«, says Søren Dinesen Østergaard, a professor at Aarhus University Hospital.
Still curious? Read the full article here.
In other news
– Free admission: Join us for the Ibyen Prize 2026
Mark your calendar and join us as we celebrate everyone who makes Copenhagen a better place to be. It happens on May 13, when we present the Ibyen Prize 2026. It all kicks off at 4 p.m. in Byhaven at Pumpehuset, where we’ll salute the restaurants, cafés, bars, initiatives, and people who have gone the extra mile for Copenhagen. There will be concerts, cold beers, and great food — and of course, admission is free for everyone.
Read more here.
– It is cheapest to charge your electric car between 1 and 2 p.m.
April has brought the lowest electricity prices of the year so far. That is due to the sunny weather, which has prompted solar panels across the country to produce more energy. NRGi said this in a press release. Prices have been particularly low between 1 and 2 p.m. During that hour, the price was 22 øre per kilowatt-hour in Western Denmark, while it was even lower in Eastern Denmark at 19 øre for the same hour, according to Ritzau.
– Copenhell has sold out of all four-day passes
It is almost last call for rock fans considering a trip to Copenhell, the music festival set to take place on Refshaleøen in Copenhagen this summer. The festival said Wednesday that all four-day passes are now sold out, but that it is still possible to buy tickets valid for one of the festival’s last three days.
»We’re incredibly grateful that people have embraced this year’s festival and our music line-up so warmly«, festival director Jeppe Nissen told Ritzau.
Talk of town: Danes are the worst in the Nordic countries at using condoms
The organization Sex & Samfund handed out free condoms at the Roskilde Festival in 2024 as part of a public-awareness campaign.
It’s awkward and hard to suggest using a condom, according to many young people. But apparently, no one thinks it’s embarrassing when their partner brings it up — quite the opposite.
That is reflected in the annual survey, ’Condom check,’ from the Swedish sex-education organization and condom maker RFSU. According to the report, Denmark is the worst in the Nordics at using condoms. And it is especially among the very youngest that condom use is moving in the wrong direction.
Condom use has been under pressure in recent years, said Majbrit Berlau, the secretary general of Sex og Samfund. She points out that while you can’t draw conclusions from a single report, the survey confirms a number of trends they also see in their own work.
»In Norway, policymakers have decided that young people under 25 can get free condoms. In Sweden, they have a well-developed network of clinics that actively work on sexual health. In general, other Nordic countries put much more political emphasis on education and encouraging safe sex — a focus we don’t have at home«, she says.
Read the full article here.
This newsletter features stories originally published in Danish. AI was used to shorten and translate the articles into English, after which a member of the editorial staff reviewed and refined the content.