\u201cThe biggest weakness of self-help is that it has to speak in very broad strokes,\u201d Mark explains. \u201cAnd then you kind of just hope the audience can figure out how to apply it to their own life. And I think what excites me so much about AI and the opportunities with Purpose is that you can now scale that personalization.\u201d<\/p>\n
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He\u2019s right. While traditional therapy is completely focused on the individual, self-help books tend to be written in generalities because the author has to serve as many people as possible. With an AI app on your phone, the advice can be tailored exactly to the individual.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe can address their personality, their values, their fears, their insecurities. It\u2019s such an incredibly powerful opportunity that I don\u2019t think has existed before,\u201d Raj explains.<\/p>\n
After a few initial questions about what motivated me, what my values were, and what areas of my life felt underdeveloped, Purpose came back with some insights into my life that felt genuinely on point. It gently delved deeper in a way that didn\u2019t feel too pushy or intrusive. If a person had asked me those questions, would I have found it invasive?<\/p>\n
\u201cI think there\u2019s a kind of hidden advantage to it being an AI,\u201d muses Mark. \u201cI\u2019ve personally noticed that when I use it, it asks me questions that, if a human asked the same thing, I\u2019d be like, \u2018Where do you get off asking something like that?\u2019 But because it\u2019s an AI, I just take it at face value and actually think about it. It\u2019s very interesting.\u201d<\/p>\n
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(Image credit: Mark Manson)The therapist in the room<\/p>\n Of course, AI doesn\u2019t come without its controversies. There have been a few high-profile cases<\/a> in the news involving teenagers who engaged in self-harm, or worse, after prolonged interactions with poorly moderated AI chatbots. I wanted to know how thoroughly Purpose had been tested to deal with these kinds of situations.<\/p>\n \u201cEvery time we see one of these horrifying AI headlines, we test Purpose \u2013 and so far it has responded exactly as we designed it to,\u201d says Raj. \u201cIn scenarios involving potential self-harm, Purpose will shut down the conversation and make it clear that this isn\u2019t something it can help with as an AI mentor. It encourages the user to seek professional support and provides hotline numbers and resources for mental health services.\u201d<\/p>\n Every time we see one of these horrifying AI headlines, we test Purpose \u2013 and so far it has responded exactly as we designed it to.<\/p>\n Raj Singh<\/p>\n Raj and Mark are careful to position Purpose not as a therapist, but as a mentor \u2013 and that distinction is central to how the app is designed. \u201cIf you come to Purpose with a classic therapy-level issue, like wanting to unpack trauma or experiencing intense emotional distress, it will explicitly say, \u2018This isn\u2019t what I\u2019m for,\u2019\u201d explains Mark. \u201cIt recommends finding a professional and can help point you toward resources to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n You may like<\/p>\n \u201cThat was very intentional. Building an AI for therapy means signing up for the hardest cases imaginable,\u201d he adds. \u201cAI is still very new, and everything is evolving so quickly. We had to ask ourselves whether we wanted to take on those responsibilities, or whether we could do more good by focusing on coaching and mentoring \u2013 people with what I jokingly call \u2018high-quality problems,\u2019 like navigating work, relationships, or burnout. That\u2019s why we consciously chose this lane.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cA lot of people cry\u201d<\/p>\n Purpose\u2019s user reviews on the Apple App Store<\/a> tell a compelling story. \u201cThis tool has changed my life in one short week,\u201d says one. Another adds, \u201cIf you are stuck, this app will give you the small nudge you may be looking for.\u201d I wondered what sort of feedback the team has been getting during testing.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s pretty wild, honestly,\u201d says Mark. \u201cA lot of people cry. The product isn\u2019t perfect yet, and the AI isn\u2019t perfect, so it doesn\u2019t hit with everybody. But when it hits, it really hits. People reach out and say, \u2018It told me things within the first ten minutes that nobody has ever noticed about me before.\u2019 We\u2019ve had people say it put into words things they\u2019ve been struggling with for five or ten years.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cForty-one percent of our members say Purpose has been life-changing \u2013 not just helpful,\u201d adds Raj.<\/p>\n Are there new features or philosophical angles they\u2019d be excited to explore in a future version of the app?<\/p>\n \u201cWe have an accountability system coming,\u201d explains Mark. \u201cOur goal is to launch it by New Year\u2019s for obvious reasons. That\u2019s the biggest thing on the roadmap, and I think it\u2019s going to completely change how people use the app. Right now, everything is really focused on insight and perspective \u2013 have you thought about this, have you considered that? The accountability system will allow users to ask the AI, \u2018Okay, we agreed that I should lose 10 kilos. How should I go about this?\u2019 The AI will then generate an action plan over, say, the next two months, check in with you, and keep you accountable.\u201d<\/p>\n As a Purpose user, I\u2019m looking forward to the accountability feature, although it also makes me a bit nervous because it sounds like I\u2019ll actually have to stop being a self-help tourist and do the actual work.<\/p>\n So what does the future hold for self-help? Does Mark Manson see AI changing the self-help landscape over the next few years?<\/p>\n My sneaking suspicion is that people are just going straight to ChatGPT.<\/p>\n Mark Manson<\/p>\n \u201c100%,\u201d Mark says emphatically. \u201cWe\u2019re already seeing it. Engagement with written and video self-help content is down across the board \u2013 not just for us, but for pretty much the whole industry. My sneaking suspicion is that people are just going straight to ChatGPT. It used to be that if you were struggling with anxiety or trying to get over a breakup, you\u2019d watch a video on YouTube<\/a>. Now people are just asking ChatGPT, and I think that\u2019s going to continue. It\u2019s the personalization. You get advice directly tailored to your life situation. I sensed that shift last year, and that was what lit the fire under me.\u201d<\/p>\n In that sense, Purpose feels less like another shiny AI experiment and more like a sign of where self-help is heading next. It\u2019s moving away from mass-market motivation and toward something quieter, more personal, and more accountable. If the future of the genre really is an always-available AI mentor that lives in your pocket, knows your habits, gently calls you out, and refuses to let you hide behind inspirational quotes, it\u2019s easy to see why Mark Manson might be done writing books. For better or worse, the self-help conversation is moving off the page \u2013 and onto your phone, where it can talk back.<\/p>\n Follow TechRadar on Google News<\/a> and add us as a preferred source<\/a> to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!<\/p>\n And of course you can also follow TechRadar on TikTok<\/a> for news, reviews, unboxings in video form, and get regular updates from us on WhatsApp<\/a> too.<\/p>\n The best business laptops for all budgets<\/p>\n Our top picks, based on real-world testing and comparisons![\"Purple](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1763875814_869_hhZUEBD3xpcxphhUVzPa5G.png\")
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