Patricia’s Blogs on Artificial Intelligence and Clinical Practice

Preface:

➡ links to all my blogs on AI and Clinical Practice are listed below

Since the public release of ChatGPT in late 2022 and its rapid adoption throughout 2023, I have spent a great deal of time studying, reflecting on, and writing about the impact of artificial intelligence on our profession. As a psychologist, psychoanalyst, educator, and co-founder of a clinical documentation company, I have followed these developments with both curiosity and concern.

Over the past several years, I have attended conferences and seminars, read extensively, participated in professional discussions, and spoken with fellow clinicians, colleagues, students, and members of the public about their experiences with AI. I have listened carefully to both the excitement and the unease surrounding these technologies, as well as the many ethical dilemmas they present.

My primary focus has been on the implications of AI for psychotherapy, psychology, counselling, and clinical documentation. In particular, I have been interested in questions of confidentiality, informed consent, therapeutic process, clinical judgment, professional ethics, documentation practices, and the evolving relationship between clinicians and technology.

The broader societal concerns surrounding artificial intelligence are also important and deserve serious attention. These include issues such as privacy, surveillance, misinformation, the use of AI in warfare, and the significant environmental costs associated with large-scale AI systems, including energy consumption, water usage, and noise pollution. While I support the efforts of advocates who are drawing attention to these concerns, my own writing has remained focused on the clinical and professional issues most directly affecting mental health practitioners and the people they serve.

The articles below represent my ongoing effort to think critically and thoughtfully about these developments. Some explore potential benefits, others raise concerns, and many examine the complex ethical questions that arise when new technologies intersect with the deeply human work of psychotherapy.

I hope you find them useful.

Patricia C. Baldwin, Ph.D.

Clinical Psychologist

President of Note Designer Inc.