AI: Increasingly, a New "Best Friend"

AI-Integrated Emotional Wellness (AIEW): An Adjunct to Mental Health Care

By Mark D. Lerner, Ph.D.

Chairman, The National Center for Emotional Wellness

Principal Consultant and Creator, AI-Integrated Emotional Wellness

Artificial intelligence is increasingly becoming many people’s new “best friend.” And we’re only seeing the beginning.

However, no matter how advanced it becomes, AI cannot—and will not—replace the authenticity of genuine, face-to-face human connection. Why? Because AI cannot feel.

AI-Integrated Emotional Wellness (AIEW) offers a structured framework that guides AI leaders in building emotionally ethical and responsible systems—technology that supports people while respecting what makes us human.

AIEW helps organizations:

• Engage users with empathy-empowered language and by emulating people.

• Reinforce interpersonal human interactions rather than replacing them.

• Build trust through responsible, transparent, ethical design.

I regularly consult with AI leaders across industries—helping them integrate AIEW principles into product development, policy, and strategy.

As I’ve shared with my patients for nearly four decades as a psychologist, “I’m here for you.” Today, as Principal Consultant in AI-Integrated Emotional Wellness, I’m here for AI leaders committed to building ethical, emotionally responsible technology.

Contact Dr. Lerner at the National Center