AI and Mental Health: When ChatGPT Crosses into Therapy
By Italia Fields
AI, or artificial intelligence, has made headlines across the globe over the past year alone. There has been a tremendous boom in usage, operating from small chatbots to help create a meal from household pantry staples to tools that can replicate actors in a film. As AI continues to develop, one of the questions we ask will be how one can consume it - not only ethically, but also ensuring that it can support us in our day-to-day undertakings. Many are opting to turn to these agents as a companion, friend, and at times, therapist. While AI can never fully replace therapy or the plethora of services that only a human can provide, with its advancements and insights, it can be a tool of tremendous influence over our lives.
AI in the Field
With its use in teaching, marketing, communications, and technology, AI has found its way into several major industries, including mental health. For therapists and other mental health practitioners, AI is frequently used as a tool for note-taking, supporting practitioners during or after sessions through automatic transcriptions and adjusting notes into clinical formats. Not only do these platforms cut down on the time, energy, and paperwork practitioners need to compile client data, but they also remain HIPAA-compliant and highly secure, ensuring that members outside designated networks cannot access patient information. By reducing paperwork time, practitioners may turn their focus to establishing rapport and developing interventions that will work to support their client’s needs the most.
In addition, the use of AI is becoming a notable focus in research efforts. Studies are emerging on the impact and usage of it in specific modalities such as art therapy. Other studies have explored additional growth opportunities to make life more convenient with its use and how AI can impact the individual’s mental capacities with frequent use.
The Benefits and Consequences
Despite AI being integrated in various fields in society, there are still several controversies surrounding its usage. Some of the benefits and harms that emerge are listed below.
Issue #1: Cognitive Lift
When presented with a problem, the mind may start to race as a plethora of solutions are presented. This process of thinking through a solution to a problem is known as cognitive lift. AI can reduce the time spent contemplating solutions to a problem, offering quick potential solutions in seconds flat. While this may be convenient, there is a risk in outsourcing the problem-solving to the AI alone. Studies have shown that AI usage can reduce the cognitive lift needed to contemplate and execute solutions to problems, thus allowing for less time to develop and strengthen one’s critical thinking skills.
Issue #2: Environmental Impact
Since AI requires servers to function, a tremendous amount of water is used to ensure that servers do not overheat or malfunction. Data centers, where servers are located, may impact housing expenses such as the electricity bill of residents, impact the water quality in an area, and push contaminants into the air through their use. According to the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), data centers caused about $6 billion in public health damages due to air pollution in 2023 alone. These environmental impacts tend to affect marginalized communities the most, who may be pushed out of their homes due to data centers being built, or harmed by pollutants produced during server activity.
Issue #3: Emotional Conflicts
Many people are turning to AI to discuss emotional concerns, manage stress, or organize their thoughts. One of the biggest appeals lies in the immediacy of AI - offering an accessible, intimate space to express ideas and feelings with feedback and affirmation of the vulnerabilities shared. For those in need of a nonjudgmental space for expressing feelings or personal problems, this can be incredibly valuable, especially when professional mental health services can be expensive and time-consuming. AI can provide coping strategies, journaling prompts, mindfulness exercises, and more to support emotional expression and vulnerability. While these interactions may feel supportive, they are fundamentally different from working with a licensed professional. Unlike a trained therapist, AI lacks the capacity for genuine insight into one's history or emotional complexities; it merely replicates language patterns rather than comprehending the nuances of human experiences. This immediacy without nuance can lead to conflicts outside of the screen, as individuals may feel that their personal relationships are less fulfilling than those of an AI connection.
Benefits
Despite the potential harm, AI has many redeeming qualities. Reducing cognitive lift allows for flexible thinking about other problems, rather than focusing on a single issue. Allowing AI to create a meal plan, outline a paper, or even help structure your time can be of great benefit to save time and energy when thinking through a problem. Similarly, having a space free of human judgement, critique, or suggestions can be affirming when one is experiencing emotional turmoil. Transcriptions and note-taking abilities, generating images quickly, and offering a space for reflection are all supportive in the development of creating ease in an increasingly complex world.
Personal Responsibility
Ultimately, the only one who can decide how AI will be used… is you! AI can support your goals and aspirations, help process emotions, and even help you to organize your pantry; only you can decide how helpful it will be for your life. Because AI is optional to use, this allows you to practice personal sovereignty, or the ability to make choices and decisions based on personal values, beliefs, and principles. It is up to you to decide how AI can be useful in your life and how its effects can affect your experiences.
In Conclusion
Our mission at &Rise is to uplift and support you through your healing journey, whether that includes AI or not. While AI cannot replicate human connection, we &Rise offer spaces where your voice is heard to advocate for your needs in life. We recommend subscribing to our (human-made) newsletter to find out more information about our services and checking out our blog posts about navigating emotions and self-sabotage. And as always, we remain present, attentive, and dedicated to helping you rise.
