So much advice is dished out, not only on the internet and social media, but also by people you meet, who give you all sorts of advice. Then there’s this cringe-worthy advice that radio jocks give. They’re basic homilies, sort of motherhood and apple pie stuff. I mean, really, who are they trying to impress? And they say it in the sincerest of voices, as if this is special knowledge.
Now I’m not decrying pieces of wisdom, particularly personally earned pieces of wisdom. That’s another story. But to trot out platitudes on all sorts of things, like life, health and relationships, come on, man. What gives them the right to say all this stuff?
And worst of all, on the radio yesterday was an absolute bore who gave all sorts of modern woo-woo advice with no scientific basis. He didn’t allow the presenter to get a word in edgeways, and she didn’t even challenge him on anything. She just sort of oohed and aahed, and that was it.
Luckily, you can just turn the radio down, and then you can’t hear it any more.
So what’s happening with where people get advice? And let’s not just talk about ordinary advice, like how to cook a meal or protect yourself from sunburn. Let’s talk about psychologists, especially clinical psychologists. Are they under threat from AI?
If you dig into this, you’ll find all sorts of opinions about what AI might mean for clinical psychologists.
For people in rural areas, including those in poorer countries such as South Africa and India, access to psychological services can be limited by cost and distance. AI offers an alternative. You can ask questions, describe what you’re experiencing and get a response without having to pay for a consultation.
And it’s not only people who cannot afford a psychologist who are turning to AI. Some use it to explore symptoms, wondering whether they might have depression, anxiety, ADHD or another condition.
This can be a useful starting point. AI might help people put their concerns into words and decide whether they need professional help. But an initial self-assessment is not a clinical diagnosis, however convincing the chatbot sounds.
What about more serious problems? An armed robbery, a brutal assault, abuse, a nasty divorce or a life-threatening illness can leave people struggling to cope.
Some might turn to AI for help, particularly if they cannot afford professional assistance. But this is where the limitations become more apparent. A clinical psychologist can explore a person’s background, ask probing questions and build an understanding of what is happening over time. AI can offer sympathetic responses, but sounding understanding and actually understanding someone are two different things.
Some people would say, of course, that you can solve your own problems. Just ask a friend. Somebody once said to me, “What do you need a psychologist for? Your friend can tell you if you’re an asshole or not.”
But that’s really superficial advice. A psychologist can help change your perception of something, or of yourself, which can be useful. A friend might give you an honest opinion, but that is not the same as professional psychological help.
Having said that, perhaps the over-reliance on psychologists has become too much these days. Not every unhappy experience requires a diagnosis, and not every difficult period in life calls for therapy. Sometimes we’re simply going through a rough patch and have to find our own way through it.
A useful tool, not a replacement
AI is also being used by psychologists themselves, including for administrative work and preparing educational material. So the technology may prove useful to the profession rather than simply taking business away from it.
The greater concern is that people may put too much faith in what AI tells them. A chatbot can sound authoritative while giving incorrect information, overlooking important symptoms or offering reassurance when someone needs professional help.
So are clinical psychologists really under threat from AI? Probably not in the way some might imagine. AI seems to be becoming a first port of call for some people seeking psychological advice, particularly those who cannot afford professional services. But there is a considerable difference between asking a chatbot about your problems and having a trained professional assess them.
AI might help you work out what you want to ask. It might even help you recognise that you need help. But a convincing answer isn’t necessarily a correct one. And when it comes to your mental health, that distinction matters.
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