The AI Utopia, Part 1: Where Will Our Minds Carry Us?
I spent the weekend listening to podcasts about AI. It caused me to reflect on some thoughts that I had in the past about the wisdom of what we as humans can create—but should we be creating it?
Have you ever watched the AI, Terminator, or Jurassic Park movies? Or, better still, did you read the Michael Crichton book Jurassic Park? That book broaches the question: Just because we can do something, should we do it? In this case they had the ability to possess prehistoric DNA from dinosaurs, but should they be brought to life? The book had a tragic ending. Crichton nailed it.
In the film AI, they have the ability to create a humanlike child, but can humans be trusted to respect the creation and not get out of control in using it? The scene where the scientists gather to discuss the issue challenges us to think about whether we’re really wise enough to create beyond ourselves.
The Terminator series of films, with all its action-packed sequences, poses the same question in deadly form: Can we really control what we create, and should we be creating such things? What if something we can’t control takes over? What would we need to do to get control of things back?
What does any of this have to do with me? What does any of this science fiction have to do with therapy? Everything. I’m human and, as such, limited in my functioning.
If human intelligence has the ability to create artificial intelligence, should we be doing it at the speedy rate it is being done? Why is consumerism driving AI? Have we really asked all the questions we need to ask about the risks and benefits of where we’re allowing ourselves to be taken in 2026? What if we continue to allow AI to do more and more for us?
When I was younger, and even today, I struggle with the inconvenience of low vision. I can’t get out the way a sighted person can. I’m restricted to public transportation and safe sidewalks. There are a great many unsafe sidewalks out there. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have a self-driving car that could drive me safely to where I needed to go? How would my life change if I could live anywhere and go anywhere, day or night? What would it be like to not have to depend on others for transportation? What would it be like to be able to have a life where I didn’t need to ask another person to help with something I can’t see? It would be wonderful, and in a tiny way a form of utopia. Would it be possible to live such a life? Maybe. BUT. Would I be able to deal with the outcome of it all, and what are the negatives?
There are many negatives, and the largest and most obvious one I need to ask, and we as a society need to strongly consider, is this: Is it wise to create something, and to give it the ability to roam free and surpass us humans in intelligence? This is no longer science fiction: this is present in 2026. Alexa, Siri, and chatbots (which I just used Google to check on the correct way to write it) are all a part of this. I don’t want to “chat” with a bot when I have a question that needs a human. I want to speak with a person that can help me solve the issue that is unique to my situation, and being disabled, no bot will be able to do that for me. And yet, companies want free labor, and so they use the chatbot.
This brings me to the point of thinking about how a living, breathing person can be replaced. There is dignity in working. There is dignity in providing a service or product that can be looked at as benefitting others. Getting up knowing that you can bring in a source of income is a good thing. While you can ask ChatGPT to tell you about the value of work, the AI will never be able to convey to you or create the feelings and emotions associated with having done a great job of something. Society needs to reinforce productive participation in meaningful existence, and also meaningful quality of life. Ultimately, it’s about a village.
The idea that AI will allow us to create a utopia is frightening. First off, who gets to live in this utopia? And, secondly, who is excluded? What happens when the dignity of work disappears because the new skill sets are not present in some people? Sure, it might be fun to do not much of anything for a few days, or even weeks, but what about when the novelty wears off? Where will our minds carry us?
When I was in graduate school we’d have discussions about managed health care, and many thought it would lead to more access to treatment for those with mental health issues. I argued that what it would really mean was short treatment for serious issues, unqualified employees making decisions about someone’s life, and lack of dignity in how records are kept. For the latter, you might argue that HIPAA solves the privacy issue. Once a treatment diagnosis is made, it remains on the record for the rest of someone’s life. It becomes a pre-existing condition. Using insurance to pay for psychotherapy, while useful, may not be the best life choice. There are two ways of getting help: one involves a DSM label, and the other does not. Insurance is going to require that the mental health practitioner provide an accurate diagnosis for what ails you. It goes into your file for life. The other version, and the one I use, is to keep pricing lower, and to work with people without a formal diagnosis. I might have an idea and will talk with my clients about it. I don’t need to put it into an institution’s database.
This brings me to chatbots. There is a trend to seek out psychotherapy via a chatbot. I will explore this topic next week in Part 2.
