Data shows that 41% of participants in the UK and 61% globally would be willing to use an AI platform for counseling services
More than four in 10 UK adults would be willing to use artificial intelligence (AI) to support their mental health, new research led by the University of Dorset suggests.
Bournemouth University surveyed approximately 31,000 adults from 35 countries on their use of AI large-scale language models such as ChatGPT.
The findings also show that a quarter of UK adults would be willing to delegate their child’s education to AI, and 45% of people globally trust an AI model to take on the role of a doctor.
Dr Alla Yankowskaya, a senior lecturer in psychology at the university who led the study, said she wanted to understand how people trust tools that play an important role in their daily lives.
The study, published in the journal AI and Society, shows participants in each country’s willingness to delegate to AI as a source of mental health support, education, medical care, and companionship.
According to the survey, 41% of participants in the UK and 61% globally said they would be willing to use AI for counseling services.
“People suffering from depression don’t want to wait months for an appointment, so they can rely on AI instead,” Yankowskaya says.
However, she added that after testing some of the tools herself, she found that “the developers are careful not to provide diagnostics out of the blue, so they use language that is very vague and difficult to understand.”
“Therefore, it is not a substitute for consulting a medical professional.”
Previous reports have shown the risks associated with using AI chatbots, with examples of programs advising young people about suicide and sharing misinformation about their health.
“I was really devastated to see how many people were willing to hand over the role of teaching their children to AI,” Yankowskaya said.
“We don’t yet know whether using these tools in education may have long-term effects on children’s memory and cognitive function.”
Furthermore, 45% of all respondents, and 25% in the UK, said they would hand over the role of doctors to AI, especially in countries where healthcare is expensive and difficult to access.
The highest level of trust participants were willing to place in AI was in the role of friendship, with more than three-quarters of people globally and more than half in the UK saying they would talk to ChatGPT as a companion.
Last month, mental health charity Mind announced the launch of its AI and Mental Health Committee, which will cover the benefits and concerns around AI and mental health.
Dr Sarah Hughes, the charity’s chief executive, said she believed “AI has huge potential to improve the lives of people with mental health problems”.
“However, that potential can only be realized if it is developed and deployed responsibly, with safeguards commensurate with the risks.
“We want to ensure innovation doesn’t come at the expense of people’s wellbeing, and we want those of us with lived experience of mental health issues to be at the heart of shaping the future of digital support.”
You can follow BBC Dorset above facebook, X (Twitter)or Instagram.
