May 28, 2025

The Future of Your Mental Health with Artificial Intelligence

Post By:

Dr. Julie Radlauer-Doerfler, LMHC

In-House Contributor

CEO

Collectively

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Guest Contributor:

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Do you know that Gen Z has become the loneliness generation of all, with 73% of Gen Zers reporting often feeling alone or disconnected? And they’re not the only ones. ALL generations have reported decreases in the amount of time spent engaging in person with friends and family.

Not only do young people often prefer interacting with AI-fueled tech instead of conversing with one another, both adults and children alike are building strong relationships through the use of technology that wholly replaces the need to interact with other humans. It goes without saying that this technology will never be able to replace or provide the deep, psychologically nourishing relationship benefits that come from in person human connection. Despite this, people keep turning to technology to satisfy their social needs.

Now I’m not saying that technology is all bad.

In fact, at this very moment, artificial intelligence is being used to teach deaf children how to read by translating text into sign language. Deep learning AI algorithms are used to predict with a 94% accuracy rate how likely it is patients will develop diseases like liver and prostate cancer. And the University of Hawaii is leveraging this technology to analyze 600 hours of audio in an instant to help mitigate collisions between birds and power lines.

But for all the good that we use it for, there’s also the bad.

In early 2024, IBM replaced 8,000 jobs with AI. A World Economic Forum named disinformation and misinformation powered by AI the top global threat in 2024, beating out both climate change and war. This digital intelligence that aims to replicate human behavior is also being used to create refined phishing schemes that have already seen millions part with their hard-earned money. And obviously, the fear of losing our place in the world or being taken advantage of is clearly impacting our mental health.

Artificial intelligence isn’t objectively good or bad. How it impacts us comes down to how it’s used.

Its ability to help us achieve our end goal faster than ever before means that AI will be infused into just about every aspect of life. There is no running away from AI. It’s here to stay. And while governments have attempted to place restrictions on this juggernaut technology, no matter how they attempt to chain it, it’ll break free.

If we want to protect our mental health from the companies who wield AI to intentionally or unintentionally do us harm, we must take matters into our own hands.

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The Decline of Human Intelligence

In 1984, 35% of 13-year-olds reported reading every day. In 2023, that number dropped to 14%. Long have American children struggled in subjects like math and science, but it wasn’t until recently that our kids struggled with information literacy as well.

The reason is quite simple: kids just don’t read anymore. You can in part blame it on the TikTok brain. When a child’s attention span lasts no more than a few seconds, asking them to read an entire book- or do anything for an extended period of time for that matter- seems impossible. But is it just our youth being impacted? I know I used to remember phone numbers and dates, and now I barely know the day of the week sometimes. As adults, we too are relying on technology for more things, including curbing our own boredom.

And then there is the process of seeking information.

When we Google something, there is a list of options to choose from and we can decide the title, the source, the time frame, and even the tone of where we choose to retrieve our information. However, when we allow algorithms powered by AI to make those choices for us, content becomes more tailored and ubiquitous.

For example, when we take Chat GPT results as our main source, we are allowing Chat GPT automated selections to inform and shape our truth. However, when we continue to do our own work and research, we are reading and navigating sources to maintain agency over our decisions, and the information we use to form them.

Reading improves our ability to think critically, expands our vocabulary, builds empathy, strengthens one’s attention span, and reduces stress. Forgoing reading in favor of AI-powered content means we are missing out on these crucial benefits.

But it’s not just book smarts that’s in decline- emotional intelligence is at risk as well, as we build this muscle through strong human to human interaction and connection.

Never before have we had so many ways to entertain ourselves that don’t involve us interacting with other humans. It’s just so much easier to stay home, order food through Uber Eats, and allow the algorithm to entertain us on a Friday evening. Now powered by AI, all those options just become more appealing, making interpersonal skills and emotional intelligence harder to develop.

Harnessing AI & Training Your Dragon

I’m not advocating we run away from AI, nor am I saying we should run towards it with open arms.

AI is a disruptive tool that can be used to become more efficient at school, work, and throughout our daily lives. It’s something we’ll all want in our tool kit moving forward. We just need to learn how to harness it.

The single most effective way I’ve been able to tame AI is by making it my employee.

Too often, our use of AI can get out of hand, and it can feel like AI is running the show. We let AI create our schedules, write our emails (or sometimes entire books), choose the content we watch, and personalize our streaming feeds. This is all fine, so long as AI knows who’s in charge.

We need to stop taking such a back seat, and assuming AI knows what’s best for us.

To do this, I’ve become more intentional and conscious when interacting with AI. Take the mundane drudgery of writing emails. I don’t have hours every day to respond to dozens of emails. To expedite the process, I use tools like Grammarly and CoPilot. While I sometimes let these programs do most of the leg work, I always get the final say. If an email misses the point, uses a word I don’t like, or doesn’t sound like me, I change it. I am the editor-in-chief.

Taking a more active role and recognizing that AI answers to you- not the other way around- isn’t just better for your mental health, but it’s the best way to train and optimize this intelligence. If you are ever feeling out of control, or like AI has too much power in your life, take charge and reduce how often you’re using it.

AI & Your Mental Health

Here are actionable steps you can take protect your mental health in an AI world:

Be Cautious About What You Read

With misinformation and disinformation on the rise, it’s paramount that you use a more critical and discerning eye when seeking and consuming information, especially if that information was found through social media. Always question the source and seek multiple sources.

Automate Social Engagements

Prioritize interpersonal skill building, emotional intelligence development, and fostering deep and meaningful social connections with family and friends. After a draining day at school or work, it can be difficult to muster the strength to ask a friend to meet up. Instead, automate social activities into your weekly routine. Things like weekly fitness classes, game nights, book clubs, co-ed sports, or dinner clubs are all great ways to automate and foster social interaction and social connections.

Understand AI Limitations

AI shouldn’t replace your need to create and think critically. Remember, an AI algorithm is only as good as the person who creates it, their intentions for it, and the information used to train it. Leverage AI as a tool to support your creativity and critical thinking- not replace it.

Educate Those Around You

We are all simultaneously experiencing a collective change in life as we know it. Once you have an understanding on how to best integrate AI for yourself, share that knowledge with others. We are all learning together, and the game is changing daily. The only way we can stay ahead is to connect with others and support each other in the transition.

I am not a luddite, but as a public health expert, educator, and mother, I recognize the positive and negative disruptive nature this new technology has on our children and society at large. Taking an active user role and becoming more intentional about how we leverage this technology will help to ensure more positive impacts of AI.