These experts expected in 2025 that by 2035 there will be…
45% – More negative change than positive change
14% – More positive change than negative change
28% – Fairly equal positive and negative change
8% – Little to no change
As they considered this question, more experts than not referred to their concerns that AI tools might affect the core qualities of mental well-being – things like true companionship and authentic relationships, feelings of control and mastery of life experiences, exposure to meaningful emotional encounters, the quest for an integrated life and the yearning for solitude and a simplified life. A small share of the experts noted that AI systems mitigate loneliness and might bring the balm of contact with a wider exposure to people and ideas that align with them. A number of the essays that touched on the category of social and emotional intelligence also mentioned well-being; the impact of AI in both of these categories is seen as generally dependent on how the tech is designed and operated by powerful platforms and on how individuals personally choose to use these tools. Following is a selection of related quotes extracted from these experts’ longer essays:
“Many people’s happiness is at least partially derived from their sense that the world somehow needs them, that they have utility. I think AI will likely end that utility. Additionally, there are risks that AI worsens the climate crisis and severs planetary boundaries, mostly due to change in economic growth. Addiction to AI in some form (AI friends and relationships, polarizing news and information, entertainment, etc.) could lead to a dystopian future. All of this has impact on well-being.” – Otto Barten, sustainable-energy engineer, data scientist, entrepreneur and founder and director of the Existential Risk Observatory, based in Amsterdam
“By 2035, on the one hand, the human-level performance of uncontrolled and unbridled AI systems is likely to disrupt our sense of agency, autonomy and free will. In addition, constantly comparing ourselves to these systems may result in feelings of inadequacy, incompetence or helplessness – for some, to the point of even worrying over the deterioration of our mental or intellectual state. At a more profound level, our deepening dependence upon AI may lead to experiencing a loss of individuality and uniqueness, or a loss of self, as well as a loss of control over one’s own life.” – Charalambos Tsekeris, research associate professor in digital sociology at the National Centre for Social Research of Greece
“Psychologists and others will become alarmed at the fact that humans are forming deeper bonds of trust and friendship with AI companions than with either their human families or friends. This will be most acute with children overly attached to their AI companions at the expense of social development. Among adults, psychologists will warn of a growing number of cyber-hikikomori – adults who have disappeared into severe social isolation, spending all their time with vivid AI companions.” – Paul Saffo, Silicon Valley-based technology forecaster
“We’ve always comprehended an inherent difference between a field full of grass, an inanimate instrument and a hot-blooded creature. That difference is expressed in the uniqueness of the immutable living beings vs. the scalable replicability of mutable man-made tools. This ancient demarcation is suddenly starting to blur. … The scalable capacity of AI to generate ever-new synths could become overwhelming for us. What’s irksome is not the fact that these dupes will be ubiquitous; it is their endless variety and effortless inconstancy. We will be overwhelmed by their presence everywhere. We will resent that saturation, as it will keep depleting our mental and emotional capacities on daily basis. We will push back and demand limits. – Maja Vujovic, book editor, writer and coach at Compass Communications in Belgrade, Serbia
“Human purpose will change. Many will find themselves without purpose and this will harm well-being and lead to societal unrest. Our quest for precision will ultimately take away the serendipity of being a human. The pressure to reduce risk will make life pretty boring. All these opportunities to be human and to take risk will be muted by the perceived expertise of AI and the math that works against human bias. In almost every scenario, organizations will have to ask four questions about when and where we insert a human in the decision-making process. Do we have full-decision machine intelligence? Do we augment the machine with a human? Do we augment the human with a machine? Do we have an all-human decision?” – R Ray Wang, principal analyst, founder and CEO of Constellation Research
“The vulnerability inherent in human interaction – the messiness of emotions, the mistakes we make, the unpredictability of our thoughts – is precisely what makes us human. When AI becomes the mediator of our relationships, those interactions could become optimized, efficient and emotionally calculated. The nuances of human connection – our ability to empathize, to err to contradict ourselves – might be lost in a world in which algorithms dictate the terms of engagement.” – Evelyne Tauchnitz, senior research fellow at the Lucerne (Switzerland) Graduate School of Ethics
“If short-term business gains weren’t the goal, future personal AIs could act as deeply customized ‘bottlers,’ trusted companions that safeguard and enhance our well-being. These systems would draw on shared data, but their allegiance would be to the individual. By placing control in the hands of users, personal AI could enable a shift from manipulation to empowerment. … By understanding the unique needs, preferences and circumstances of each individual, AI could enable personalized solutions that treat people equally by treating them differently. This approach could dismantle the one-size-fits-all mindset, fostering environments where individuality is celebrated, not suppressed. Freed from the struggle for recognition, people would be more open to collaboration, creating stronger more-innovative teams.” – Liselotte Lyngsø, founder of Future Navigator, based in Copenhagen, Denmark
“AI is contributing to a brittle cultural monoculture. We have to somehow get back to a balanced culture that is both sustainable and resilient. … Obviously, there is a lot of talk about the coming AI revolution’s impact in the decades to come and the effect it may have on eliminating jobs. … ‘What will these people do all day?’ The smug answer is that they will become ‘creators.’ At the risk of being called elitist, let me state that not everyone can be a creator.” – Jonathan Taplin, author of “How Google, Facebook and Amazon Cornered Culture and Undermined Democracy”