STAT+: Slingshot pulls therapy chatbot Ash out of U.K. over regulatory concerns

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Source: STAT News

Original: https://www.statnews.com/2026/01/21/slingshot-therapy-chatbot-ash-uk-regulatory-...

Published: Wed, 21 Jan 2026 18:28:49 +0000

Slingshot AI pulls its therapy chatbot app Ash from the UK over concerns it may breach medical device regulations.[1] The application will not be available after January 23.[1] CEO Daniel Reid Cahn informed users via email that there is no clear regulatory path for products like theirs, preventing safe operation.[1] The company is negotiating with the government about a possible solution.[1] Slingshot raised $93 million from investors including Andreessen Horowitz.[1][2] Ash is an AI chatbot for mental health support via conversation or text, trained on a large behavioral healthcare dataset.[2][3]