Hot off the Press Research on AI

Hot off the press research from The Brookings Institution is a call to action for AI in the mental health and relational spaces.

Highlights include:

▪️ The report refers to the blurred lines of children's AI use (learning, entertainment, communication), which I refer to as "role fluidity". This is AI as a homework tutor one minute, an advisor on how to approach your crush the next minute, and then an expert gamer the following.

▪️ "Study participants worry that AI is undermining students’ emotional well-being, including their ability to form relationships, recover from setbacks, and maintain mental health. Much of this concern centers on students’ use of AI chatbots—both general-purpose and explicitly emotional support tools—for friendship and emotional companionship."

▪️ "The banal deception of AI, where it presents as neither completely human nor completely machine, has helped integrate AI into our daily routines while subtly reshaping human-machine relationships. This evolving relationship can create unexpected paradoxes—even when children remain fully aware that they are interacting with an algorithm, they can still develop emotional attachments to AI systems, viewing them as an emotional intimate rather than as a task-accomplishing tool."

▪️ "This is a particular concern for students who are lonely or who are experiencing mental health or emotional issues."

However,
▪️ "Some students have even reported that chatbot use prevented suicidal thinking."

"𝘈 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘩𝘯𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘺 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘵 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘺𝘴. 𝘚𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘵 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘺𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘵 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘯𝘦-𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘥." — Neil Postman

So, how do we ensure AI creates more than it destroys?

✔️ Raising awareness of risks and benefits with both youth and parents (including supportive services)

✔️ Designing AI that is a rehearsal for relationship, not a replacement

✔️ Preferring specialized chatbots over general-purpose LLMs that lack safety guardrails

✅ Equipping individuals to navigate the friction inherent in relationships (this is a step beyond promoting more human connection)