Last week we lost a true innovator. Dr. Aaron T. Beck, the creator of Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), turned 100 years of Freudian thinking on its head, and in doing so, upended the power dynamic between therapist and patient.

The old paradigm—a patient talking endlessly about the past while an inscrutable psychotherapist nods knowingly while searching for symbolism (yes, I am simplifying)—always bugged me because it seems to rest on the idea that the therapist possesses some great wisdom that the patient does not.

Beck preferred to focus on what is happening, and therefore changeable, in the here and now. By encouraging patients to examine their disparaging thoughts in the same way a scientist would test a hypothesis–through data collection and experimentation–he taught them to be more objective, less biased, about themselves.

This is such an empowering notion. It puts healing in the patients’ hands. The therapist simply provides the tools and guidance.

Those tools are an important line of defense against the kinds of negative biases that our minds introduce under conditions of intense emotion. This has always been part of the human condition. In the last decade, however, this tendency has been exploited by algorithms that are fueled by emotional reasoning, where anger gives rise to conviction (this is right and that is wrong) and polarization (we are right and they are wrong). Given that these algorithms are systematically embedded in the digital tools that characterize much of our day-to-day lives, Beck’s basic idea–that by actively challenging our most emotive thoughts, we can appreciate a more nuanced reality, and ultimately, be happier–is more relevant now than ever.

Because CBT is skills-based and can be administered online, more people than ever may be able to access that opportunity. While the data show CBT is most effective when done with a guide, recent research suggests that the guide doesn’t have to be an expert therapist, a finding that was foundational to the creation of Woebot.

Woebot uses AI to guide users through CBT in a highly engaging, conversational format. We created it to reduce the stigma around mental health and bring care to underserved communities. Woebot now exchanges millions of messages with people every week, and according to a study in JMIR Formative Research, participants actually bonded with Woebot in just 3 to 5 days, and that bond was found to be non-inferior to the bond created between human therapists and patients.

While I never got the chance to meet Dr. Beck and ask what he thought of Woebot, I hope he would’ve appreciated the innovation his work gave rise to and been excited by its promise to make CBT tools accessible to all.