4 in 10 adults in UK happy to use AI for counselling

More than four in 10 adults in the UK would be happy to use artificial intelligence (AI) for their mental health support, new Dorset-led research suggests. Bournemouth University surveyed about 31,000 adults in 35 countries about their use of AI large language models such as ChatGPT. The findings also suggest that a quarter of UK adults would be happy to delegate the role of teaching their children to AI, and that 45% of people globally would trust AI models to take on the role of their doctor. The mental health charity Mind last month launched a commission to examine the role of AI in mental health, recognising its potential but only if developed responsibly and with safeguards in place. Bournemouth study lead Dr Ala Yankouskaya, the university's senior lecturer in psychology, said they wanted to learn about how people would trust the tools for important roles in their daily lives. According to the survey, 41% of participants from the UK, and 61% globally, said that they would be happy to using AI for counselling services. "If someone is experiencing depression, they do not want to wait months for an appointment, so instead they can turn to AI," Yankouskaya said. But she added tha