By Deana Lesher
If I’m struggling mentally, should I turn to AI? A question I’m sure everyone has thought of at least once. Some argue it is a good idea. Many of those people believe this because it is always with you or incredibly easy to access. It could be on a laptop, computer, or on the little computer that’s always in your pocket, unlike a real person who has a life outside of being a mental health resource and can’t follow you around everywhere. Other people argue that AI is bad for mental health. I personally am on this side. Yes, I’m aware of all the advantages it brings, but I feel that the negatives outweigh the positives. One of my biggest concerns is the personal connections a real human can bring to therapy. I feel as though when you are in a session with a therapist, they can try to relate to your problems and challenge your thoughts. In an actual session, when you express disordered thinking, they can truly challenge your thoughts, but AI can’t do this. The reason it can’t is that the AI is programmed to keep you engaged and agree with whatever you tell it. This ultimately could lead to harmful thought cycles or delusions.
My second thought is Crisis intervention. This is one of the most important parts of counseling as a whole. An AI chatbot can’t recognize self-harm planning or suicidal intent. This eventually would lead to an increase in suicides and self-harming behaviors in people all over the world. Also, sometimes expressing these feelings can be a call for help, which an AI bot cannot understand. The last main concern is lack of data privacy. When you are in therapy, you might mention past traumas or triggering happenings. With a real human counselor, they have to abide by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, better known as HIPAA. This is a law that was passed in 1996 mandating that all health care professionals can not share private medical information without consent of the patient. A medical provider follows this, but your AI chatbot can not. This would ultimately lead to your private information being leaked to big AI companies for logging, storing, and potentially being used by big tech companies to train other AI bots. Eventually, your private thoughts and feelings would be out to big tech companies and no longer just be your own thoughts and feelings.
If you are struggling with your mental health, please get help. There are so many helpful resources for you on campus and outside of the university. Even if you think something you’re going through is small, you should never have to struggle alone. Whether that is talking with a trained mental health specialist or just a friend. There is always someone who can help you get through it. Crisis resources are always available on campus and online. You are not alone.