Artificial Intelligence and Being Human: Critical Thinking, Creativity, and Empathy

The emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) and its influence on how humans live and what it means to be human are rapidly evolving. These changes are occurring more rapidly than ethicists and practitioners can deliberate on the implications. The fields of psychology and counseling, and more specifically humanistic psychology and counseling, must grapple with the implications of this not just for our field but also their subject matter: human beings. This paper explores how AI is impacting three vital aspects of being human: critical thinking, creativity, and empathy. Excessive use of AI tends to negatively impact critical thinking, creativity, and empathy; however, access to AI, which generally involves more modest use, has a more complex relationship, with a mixture of negative impacts and potentially positive influences.