Anxiety, Relationships and the Age of AI

As AI is increasingly used for companionship, emotional support, and even mental health advice, interactions that remove uncertainty can feel comforting and reassuring. Yet relationships with others involve difference, misunderstanding, and negotiation, and it is often through this back and forth that we begin to understand something about ourselves. This becomes particularly relevant in therapy, where two people are present and something takes shape between them. Moments of uncertainty can arise, illuminating expectations, fears, and patterns that may otherwise repeat in other areas of life. Through the therapeutic encounter, these experiences can be stayed with and thought about together, allowing a different way of relating to oneself and others to gradually emerge.