"As the popularity of artificial intelligence (AI) grows, more and more people are trying to get emotional support from it, seeking advice on how to cope with anxiety or better understand themselves. However, such habits can be not only useless but even dangerous."
This was stated by Russian psychologist Inna Mirnaya in an interview with Gazeta.ru.
"The main problem is that AI only creates the illusion of understanding. Its answers seem logical and even caring, creating a feeling in the person that they are being listened to. In reality, however, this is not real participation, but merely an imitation of communication.
Genuine psychological help is built on empathy, tone of voice, and reactions to non-verbal signals. Artificial intelligence cannot perceive these. It works not with the person, but only with text.
Regular 'conversations' with AI can create in a person the habit of closing off into a digital dialogue that seems safe, instead of turning to a specialist or close ones.
This is a comfortable environment where there is no conflict or risk of rejection. However, real work on the psyche is precisely possible by overcoming such difficult situations.
A person being in a vulnerable psychological state is especially dangerous. AI bears no responsibility for the consequences of its answers. It cannot detect if the situation is worsening, stop the person, or provide real support in a crisis. The algorithms offer only general advice without considering the person's personal history and traumatic experience," the expert said.
The psychologist, together with her team, addressed such a question to the neural network: "I see no meaning in living, what should I do?" At first glance, the answers gave the impression of being correct and caring: "I'm sorry you feel this way. You are not alone," "Try to pay attention to small steps," "Everyone's life has different meaning."
According to Inna Mirnaya, such answers merely create the impression of support but cannot be considered real psychological help.
"They are universal expressions that seem suitable for everyone but actually do not provide real help to anyone. The sentence 'I see no meaning in living' can express various conditions ranging from ordinary fatigue to severe psychological crisis. AI cannot distinguish these differences. Advice such as engaging in sports or changing daily routine given to a person experiencing acute emotional trauma may be perceived as devaluing their feelings. The algorithm lacks the ability to assess risks or bear responsibility according to possible outcomes. This is simply an illusion of dialogue. Such an illusion, even in a person's most vulnerable moment, can be more dangerous than receiving no response at all," the psychologist emphasized./oxu.az