More than one in three UK residents are using AI for mental health support. Nearly half of adults with mental health conditions have used chatbots. 72% of teens have used an AI companion. And we have no idea what we're doing. Today we're talking about AI—the good, the bad, and the genuinely terrifying.

Key Topics:

• AI therapy chatbots—helpful or harmful?

• AI companions and the loneliness trap

• Algorithms that feed your anxiety

• Deepfakes and the erosion of reality

• AI-induced job displacement and "AI anxiety"

• What we can do about it

Key Stats:

• 1 in 3 UK residents use AI for mental health

• 48.7% of adults with mental health conditions have used AI chatbots

• 18% of college students have used AI for mental health

• AI chatbot efficacy is modest (g=0.30) vs face-to-face CBT (g=0.79)

• 72% of teens have used an AI companion

• Heavy AI companion use correlates with increased loneliness

• AI chatbots may amplify delusional content in vulnerable users

• AI implementation in the workplace correlates with anxiety and depression

Support the Show:

• ☕ Buy Me a Coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/jen1409m

• 💎 Patreon: patreon.com/AnxiouslyEverAfter

Resources:

• The Jed Foundation: https://jedfoundation.org

• Common Sense Media: https://www.commonsensemedia.org

• YoungMinds: https://www.youngminds.org.uk

• Mind: https://www.mind.org.uk

Helpful Reading:

• The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt

• Unmasking AI by Joy Buolamwini