The pervasive and even addictive nature of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools allows anyone to turn to it for mental health support easily. According to a survey by Juris Education, pre-law students are doing so, even if involuntarily. Nearly 40% of the students surveyed reported that they are not comfortable sharing sensitive, mental‑health information with AI chatbots but 13% of students did it anyway.
These metrics are worrisome for two reasons. Public LLM tools aren’t sufficiently equipped to help each student with mental health support, and it shows that students are not able to use the resources available to them on campus. In fact, according to The Steve Fund, 40% of college students said they find it difficult to access mental health services, despite knowing about them. Among reasons are a shortage of clinicians on campuses, limited support resources and long queues for students.
What is needed is an amalgamation of AI and human-centric mental health resources to better assist our students. The University of Utah has taken a lead on this situation by innovating for better mental health care using AI. Researchers such as Dr. Warren Pettine are developing tools to integrate real-time data from wearables, telemetry and electronic health records so clinical teams prioritize tasks and manage resources effectively, allowing for human-centered innovation. Yet, we need more human-led tools and at all levels so we can assist students to thrive.
Start AI education and awareness early
AI literacy must begin even before students are on campus. Students report feeling overwhelmed even during the college application process. Lack of clarity on the use of AI in elements of applications, such as personal statements, further adds to their anxiety and confusion. Among law schools, the University of Michigan Law School and the University of Miami School of Law were among the first to introduce AI-based essay questions that require applicants to use tools like ChatGPT. Instead of penalizing students for using AI, these essays are designed to gauge AI literacy, ethical reasoning and critical thinking skills necessary in both the education and professional spheres.
Universities like the U should encourage the use of AI where necessary and even advantageous, such as for optimizing workflows and increasing efficiency. AI is being used for these purposes in the workplace to reduce workloads by outsourcing non-substantive tasks. By giving students an early introduction to these use cases on campus, universities can help them feel prepared. Further, being able to offload routine tasks can prevent psychological burnout, especially in highly demanding professions, contributing to their well-being.
Use AI with human supervision to improve mental health support infrastructure
It is the responsibility of universities to ensure that their mental health support systems are adequately available to students so they don’t turn to ill-equipped tools that otherwise require specialized practitioner intervention. Institutions can indeed use AI to strengthen their mental health support infrastructure. They can develop in-house AI-assisted services with psychiatrists, psychologists and counsellors still at the helm of clinical decision making. Universities can also deploy AI tools to proactively detect symptoms of mental health distress among students and tailor solutions to each student, instead of public LLM-driven solutions.
Teach students the perils of AI
Universities must also take on the role of educating students about the risks of AI—including privacy concerns, hallucinated content, plagiarism and more. Today’s students will soon be shouldering the responsibility of working in AI-driven workplaces and leading conversations on the ethical usage of AI. If educational institutions can begin this awareness early on, students can develop the critical thinking and reasoning skills to navigate AI use, despite its many perils and educate others about it by the time they enter the workforce.
Students increasingly turning to AI for emotional and mental health support is an indication that existing systems need to innovate. Among them are universities that must create clear AI usage guidelines early on, use the technology with a human-centric approach to improve their mental health assistance services, teach real-world implications of AI and enable students to develop a holistic understanding of this new technology.
Arush Chandna is the co-founder of Juris Education, a leading law school admissions consulting firm.