How to deal with AI: 'I still trust my gut, but do I trust it more than ChatGPT?'
From the workplace to our personal lives, AI is becoming embedded in the tools we use every day. As more of us turn to it for advice on issues in our intimate lives, Adele Miner asks, are we losing trust in our own intuition?
When faced with making a decision, what’s your first instinct? Taking a moment to check in with yourself, or grabbing your phone to ask ChatGPT?
According to a recent report in the Harvard Business Review, the majority of users are now using generative AI for “therapy and companionship”.
Given that Ireland is reportedly the loneliest country in Europe, and therapy can cost in the region of €60-€200, it’s perhaps unsurprising that many of us are turning to this new, free, 24-hour service for assistance.
Just like Orla Doherty, who turned to ChatGPT to ask for advice in her last relationship — a decision she now regrets.
“I had suspicions that my ex was cheating around a year ago. I was tired of annoying my friends, so I used ChatGPT instead,” the 31-year-old says.
“I input the small red flags I had noticed, and the response I got back validated my feelings but encouraged me to take my time with things.”
Some months after this, Doherty got confirmation her ex-partner was cheating.
“I was angry with myself. I should have broken up with him months before that. My gut was telling me that he was cheating, but the calm and rational response from ChatGPT [made] me think that maybe I was overreacting.”
Doherty doesn’t blame ChatGPT entirely for her choice not to break up with her partner sooner, but she says the situation served as an example that she should listen to her gut more instead of “turning to robots to help me make my mind up.”
At the time of writing, statistics on the number of Irish people using ChatGPT or other generative AI tools for mental and emotional support aren’t readily available (at the time of writing, requests to the platform for these statistics have gone unanswered).
Claire Coogan, a behavioural scientist and founder of BehaviourWise, says the rise in turning to AI for advice isn’t surprising.
“We have become used to a world where technology helps us manage our health by monitoring our sleep, counting our steps, measuring our heart rate etc ... it’s not much of a leap for younger people in particular to turn to it for advice.”
One person who uses AI technology like ChatGPT for support in most areas of her life is 29-year-old Ceire Dunning.
“In my personal life, I use it every single day,” she begins. “I ask about the weather, times and fixtures for events or games I’m attending. I often use it for searching for medical queries.
“For example, if I or a family member were ill, I would search the symptoms to find out what may be wrong. I enjoy growing my own fruit, vegetables, and herbs, and find ChatGPT a lifesaver to help with that. I can quickly take a photo of a leaf or plant, and ChatGPT will tell me how to treat it or take care of it.
“At work, I often use it to help with Excel formulas, proof-reading, and general queries that would take longer to search on Google.”
Reflecting on her use of AI, Dunning shares that she always tries to do her own research and fact-check information given to her by AI, particularly for important work.
“I’m aware that nothing is 100% accurate, not even ChatGPT, plus it is a relatively new technology and will take time to perfect. Even though I mentioned that I sometimes use it to search medical questions, I would never place ChatGPT’s advice higher than my doctors.”
I ask Dunning if she still trusts her gut instincts, and she pauses before answering.
“It’s a good question, because my instinct is to say yes,” she begins. “But, to be honest, I regularly double-check myself against ChatGPT. So I guess to answer that question — I still trust my gut, but do I trust it more than ChatGPT? Maybe not!”
She does share that AI is best consumed alongside your own intuition, taking the answers you’re given by it with a pinch of salt.
Listing all of the positives that AI can aid with, Coogan also warns that with that comes negatives too.
“AI can no doubt support by providing information, offering tips, guiding us through techniques like breathing exercises or mindfulness to help alleviate anxiety, and just by being there when we need it.
“But still, there are many things it cannot do. It cannot put things into perspective for us, or spot when we might need to change our perspective. It should not be relied upon to diagnose problems or form well-rounded decisions. That involves judgement, which human beings are better at.”
Still, it’s not all negative, as psychologist Ciara Richardson points out.
She recommends experimenting with forms of online advice and emotional support like Woebot to some of her clients in prisons.
“Some of my clients may never have engaged with therapy before and could be coming from a place of homelessness/addiction/trauma etc. Given this, 1:1 work can be intimidating and it can be difficult to have the emotional intelligence even to know where to begin.”
For this reason, Richardson says that sometimes AI chatbots can be a great starting point to encourage conversations around mental health.
“It can provide people with language that they didn’t have before to describe feelings or behaviours that cause them distress,” she adds.
“It can also give them a place to write their feelings down and to recieve probing questions, empowering them to elaborate and to delve further into feelings.”
Richardson also points out the expense of attending traditional therapy, attributing this to the rise of turning to other sources for help.
“Seeing a psychologist/ psychotherapist is expensive. You could be looking at spending anywhere from €60 to €200 per session. Thousands if you’re looking for a private ASD/ADHD assessment.
“I personally don’t believe that AI is replacing therapy. I think people are intelligent enough to recognise the pros and cons of seeing a therapist versus having a conversation on ChatGPT.
“I think the popularity of it is a result of accessibility, rather than people thinking that AI is better than a therapist. If people are using ChatGPT instead of a therapist, it’s because they can’t afford it or they are on a waiting list with no hope of seeing anyone soon.”
Richardson agrees that, while there are advantages to using AI for problem-solving, it’s crucial to avoid outsourcing decision-making.
Finding the balance between getting tips and advice, while still remaining connected with your intuition, is key.
Deirdre Walsh, a chartered counselling psychologist, explains why our instincts are important.
“Your gut instincts are your inner compass.
“Sometimes you just know the right next step or the right words, especially if you have spent time listening to your intuitive guidance before. Trusting your gut instincts can be incredibly valuable, particularly when you balance that with reflection and awareness of yourself and the context you find yourself in at a given point in life.”
What if, I ask, people are so used to turning to Google, or now AI, for answers, they struggle to recognise their gut instinct? How can they identify what that even feels like?
“Your gut instinct or gut feeling may appear in the form of discomfort in a situation where you pick up on a subtle red flag about someone or something,” she explains.
“You may have heard people say something feels off, which can be their gut response or inner compass. We live in a world where people are quick to tell us how we should be feeling about something, instead of allowing us to make up our own minds.”
And if you have lost touch with your intuition, Walsh offers some advice for tapping back in.
“From what I see, people don’t slow down enough to reflect,” she begins.
“Therefore, they are often swept up in taking on the words of others instead of listening to and trusting our own gut instincts. There may be times in life when it’s best to step back and pause before taking action. For example, if you’re experiencing a challenging situation involving high emotional charge, you may be reactive due to anxiety and trauma, which may disguise themselves as gut instinct.
"While it’s good to listen to your inner wisdom or gut, it’s also important to be mindful that you don’t allow it blindly take over. If you’re unsure whether it’s gut feeling or another reactive response, perhaps try consulting a friend that you trust or explore the facts about a situation to look at it objectively which can also help.”
Walsh also recommends creating a solid routine for yourself, from morning to night-time, which allows moments of checking in throughout.
“Creating a morning or evening ritual can be an incredible way to carve out space and time to tap into your intuition. Make a habit of checking in with your mind and body by exploring what you are feeling and where in your body you may be experiencing it.
“Naming the emotion can be helpful and also exploring it deeper, for example by asking yourself what this feeling may be related to? Whether it is something from your present or past or even something regarding your future that you are thinking about.
“Whether it’s to just sit there and check in with how you’re feeling that morning, or a few minutes stretching, yoga, breathwork, or journalling.
“It is the small habits, how we start our morning, and implementing these changes that create long-lasting growth. The more attuned we are to ourselves and our bodies, the more mindful we become, the more we strengthen that relationship to our intuition, and our gut instinct and avoid the need to rely on something like AI to decide for us.”
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