I still remember when the go-to strategies for different life stresses were things like going for a walk, calling a close friend, and reading a self-help book. Back then, while I was working in health promotion, I was learning that most of the time, what people need to maintain good physical and mental health isn’t just about knowledge, but it’s more about skills and capacities like self-motivation, readiness, and confidence in one’s own ability to take control over their lives.

However, somewhere along the way, something was changing, not suddenly, but gradually, and I noticed nearly everyone turning to Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools for challenges big and small. It might have started with writing emails or summarising papers, but now these conversations are much more personal. This raises a question, which a decade ago was not even something to ask about: when you’re stressed or struggling with your studies, do you call a friend, go for a walk, or open a chatbot window or app?

Not long ago, mental health was not a topic that was commonly discussed openly and publicly, and the terms that we now hear, such as burnout or anxiety, were not commonly used. It took a long time and huge efforts until mental health topics became normalized, and people now show more awareness, yet there is still a high number of people struggling with mental health issues. A noticeable change from what used to be is also where people turn to for mental health support. A recent study found that 1 in 8 adolescents and young adults in the USA (roughly 5 million people) have asked a generative AI chatbot for mental health advice, with 92.7% reporting it was helpful (1). Some argue that things like being free, immediate responses, and perceived privacy may make these tools uniquely accessible at exactly the moments when traditional support feels out of reach.

Although generative AI tools, particularly the ones that are designed for mental health, show promising results in improving mental health literacy, there is an ongoing debate about the benefits versus risks, and much of this debate goes around issues related to safety, accuracy, reliability and emotional engagement (2,3). Serious safety concerns were also raised in many studies; for example, a media study in 2026 revealed several cases of harmful events linked to AI chatbot interactions, with suicide death as the most frequently reported outcome (4). It is worth highlighting here that most of the AI tools we are seeing people using routinely are not the ones that are specifically designed for addressing mental health issues or for therapeutic reasons, but are the general-purpose tools that can generate content based on patterns and pre-fed data, which can lead to bias, misinformation, and hallucinations!

Now that generative AI tools are part of daily routines, some people may already be using them as sources of support or coping when dealing with stress and mental health concerns. Much still needs to be done to understand how these tools shape our knowledge, skills, and attitudes toward mental health, and whether they influence, positively or negatively, the abilities students have or could develop to support and maintain good mental health

Interested in sharing your own insights?

If this resonates with you or sparks some ideas, I would genuinely value your views and insights in an online focus group study I’m currently conducting with higher education students, from Spring 2026 to Spring 2027. It’s informal, conversational, and there are no right or wrong answers. Reach out to me if you’d like to know more, aahato@utu.fi or fill out the following form, and I will get back to you with more information: https://link.webropolsurveys.com/S/DF0EF4779E923EBB

University of Turku

Doctoral Researcher of the Intelligent Health Research Group, Department of Nursing Science, Faculty of Medicine. Areas of interest: AI and Mental Health Literacy, Health Promotion, and Health Behaviour Change.

aahato@utu.fi

References

1. McBain, R. K., Bozick, R., Diliberti, M., Zhang, L. A., Zhang, F., Burnett, A., Kofner, A., Rader, B., Breslau, J., Stein, B. D., Mehrotra, A., Pines, L. U., Cantor, J., & Yu, H. (2025). Use of Generative AI for Mental Health Advice Among US Adolescents and Young Adults. JAMA network open, 8(11), e2542281. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.42281
2. Heinz, M. V., Mackin, D. M., Trudeau, B. M., et al. (2025). Randomized trial of a generative AI chatbot for mental health treatment. NEJM AI, 2(4). https://doi.org/10.1056/AIoa2400802
3. Wang L, Bhanushali T, Huang Z, Yang J, Badami S, Hightow-Weidman L. (2025). Evaluating Generative AI in Mental Health: Systematic Review of Capabilities and Limitations. JMIR Ment Health;12: e70014 URL: https://mental.jmir.org/2025/1/e70014. DOI: 10.2196/70014
4. Chung V, Bernier P, Hudon A (2026). Mass Media Narratives of Psychiatric Adverse Events Associated with Generative AI Chatbots: Rapid Scoping Review. JMIR Ment Health;13: e93040. URL: https://mental.jmir.org/2026/1/e93040. DOI: 10.2196/93040.
5. Picture illustrated by ChatGPT