Facing Challenges with AI-Integrated Emotional Wellness
- Dr. Mark Lerner
- Jan 7
- 2 min read
Reflecting On a Recent Keynote Presentation on AI-Integrated Emotional Wellness
By Mark D. Lerner, Ph.D.
Principal Consultant & Creator, AI-Integrated Emotional Wellness
When we face a challenging event, we're increasingly turning to Artificial Intelligence (AI) for accessible information, guidance, and support. However, while AI offers tremendous cognitive/thinking ability and can provide practical, accessible information during difficult times, it can’t replicate the authenticity and genuineness of face-to-face human interaction—human presence.
This intersection of machines and human emotion is the hallmark of AI-Integrated Emotional Wellness (AIEW), the broad interface between the cognitive abilities of artificial intelligence and the complexity of human emotion.
During a recent keynote, an audience member asked me whether there were data supporting the need for interpersonal presence when we face a challenging experience. The question itself reflects how technology's convenience can overshadow human needs that arise when we’re hurting.
While AI can support emotional wellness during challenging experiences by offering evidence-based tools, strategies, and support—it will never replace the presence of another human being.
When we’re scared, overwhelmed, and experiencing emotional distress, we need more than algorithms and accessible information. We need human connection—people. As Barbra Streisand sang to us in the 1964 Broadway musical Funny Girl, "People who need people are the luckiest people in the world."
As I indicated in a previous article, AI cannot:
• Look at you with eyes filled with compassion.
• Hold your hand as your eyes pool with tears.
• Embrace you while you’re crying.
• Convey warmth through presence—without saying a word.
• Sit beside you and softly say, “I’m here for you.”
These are not mere gestures—they’re critical human needs when we face a challenging experience. And no machine, no matter how advanced, can provide them.
After the aforementioned presentation, a young mental health professional approached me with warmth and gratitude. Her request for a simple hug—after we had just discussed the limits of AI and the core principle of AIEW—the irreplaceable human need for genuine emotional and physical presence—was profoundly moving. In that moment, the true essence of AIEW was particularly apparent. A photo of that exchange is attached to this article. The authenticity of her smile has been indelibly etched in my mind.
As AI continues to shape healthcare, business, crisis response, and everyday life, leaders in the field must recognize that the most effective support during challenging times will come from BOTH machine-based accessible information and genuine human interpersonal presence.
AIEW is a bridge between technology and people that will define the future of ethical and responsible AI—and ensure that humanity remains at the center of innovation.
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