An American Psychological Association survey examined the growing role of artificial intelligence (AI) tools by psychologists, NPR reported, with unsettling findings.
What's happening?
Psychologists do some of the most sensitive work in medicine, and patients are often at their most vulnerable in that clinical setting.
According to NPR, psychologist Cami Winkelspecht was fielding questions from patients about how to safely use AI tools, which prompted her to give Google's Gemini and ChatGPT a spin.
Winkelspecht said her largely adolescent patient base had begun asking questions about using AI without breaching their "school's honor code."
In short order, AI tools became a load-bearing part of her psychological practice, where she uses the technology for broader administrative tasks, including drafting letter templates.
Psychologist Vaile Wright told the outlet that many in her field rely on AI to be more efficient, citing potential "downstream effects to reducing burnout, reducing those aspects of the workplace that people don't particularly enjoy."
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Wright's observation that AI usage among psychologists had increased was supported by the APA's survey.
It found that "the number of psychologists who reported that they had never used AI to assist with their practices fell dramatically" between 2024 and 2025, from 71% to 44%.
Nearly 30% of respondents indicated they used AI "on at least a monthly basis," up from 11% in 2024.
Why is this concerning?
In the broader field of medicine, mental health clinicians such as psychologists handle sensitive patient information, and the involvement of AI raised immediate confidentiality concerns.
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Wright acknowledged that "data privacy" is a potential problem as psychologists increasingly use AI in practice settings, and survey respondents concurred.
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Energy consumption ⚡ Among concerns about AI usage in psychology, 67% of respondents cited "potential data breaches," along with general "social harms" (64%), biased inputs or outputs (63%), and the potential for inaccuracies and AI hallucinations (60%).
As AI's tentacles stretched into nearly every aspect of life over the past year, wider concerns rose alongside it, particularly in school systems and the labor market.
AI data centers became emblematic of the technology's reach as they began emerging across the United States. Data centers have proved disruptive to nearby communities, with residents complaining of noise and air pollution.
Data centers require massive amounts of water and power to support AI tech, with the latter most keenly felt by Americans in many states.
As AI usage spiked, so did energy demand; as a result, electric bills have skyrocketed in several states, with no end in sight for weary ratepayers.
What's being done about it?
Despite its omnipresence, AI remains a nascent technology.
Regulators have struggled to keep pace with AI's rapid advancement, but Wright said oversight is critical for patient safety.
"We have to ensure that these technologies are regulated," she acknowledged.
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