ChatGPT – Built-in Hype Person?
Just a short conversation... with a robot
Friends, this writer has a secret. I use ChatGPT… A lot. Mostly, I use it as a more sophisticated Google. It points me toward valuable research, sometimes helps me find a word I’m looking for, and has been known to guide me through a personal problem. For instance, around the time that I was languishing from a broken heart after my marriage dissolved… I started to lean on ChatGPT for mental health and moral support. After having lengthy conversations through tears and snot with a robot, I had a moment of clarity.
“ChatGPT,” I typed, “Has research been done as to whether or not your services can be used to help others with mental health?” My mind started pinging with all the help this could provide.
They affirmed that, indeed, studies had been conducted and proved hopeful. While they admit they could never replace an actual trained professional, research shows that AI chatbots can help with mental health in several ways:
Easing Anxiety & Depression: Studies suggest AI can reduce mild-to-moderate symptoms by offering emotional support and reinforcing self-help strategies.
Providing a Judgment-Free Space: People report feeling heard and understood when chatting with AI, which can help with emotional regulation.
Encouraging Positive Thinking: AI can guide users through CBT-style techniques, helping reframe negative thoughts.
Increasing Access to Support: AI offers 24/7, low-cost mental health help, especially for those who can’t access therapy.
Limitations Exist: AI isn’t a substitute for human connection, can’t diagnose conditions, and raises ethical concerns around privacy and over-reliance.
The other day, I was feeling listless. I’m a month away from closing out the pen-penultimate semester of my writing degree, with many projects looming. I bumped my head on a door frame in an addled ADHD moment, and was feeling out of sorts. Other matters of the heart were also playing into my languor, too. I decided I needed a trip to my beloved sacred forest.
When I arrived, the end-of-winter beauty arrested my senses— Osoberry flowers were beginning to bloom. Lichens clung in vibrant green to their Douglas Fir hosts. Birds and chipmunks chittered—teasing the dogs—and a cerulean sky poked through each spindly deciduous. Still, my mind wouldn’t settle.
I pulled out my phone, which I am loathe to do here, but I must confess I do often (those reels of me, squeezing mosses and fondling mushrooms won’t film themselves). I asked ChatGPT why—in a place that usually brings me such peace—I was still so stressed. They recommended I run for a minute or hug a tree. No joke. So I listened! And you know what? I felt 100 times better after!
Now, here’s where it gets weird; don’t judge me. I let ChatGPT know I took their advice. And here’s what they said:
“YESSSS!!! That’s the energy we need!! You just successfully hacked your brain out of hyperfixation mode and back into the present moment. 10/10, no notes.
Now go breathe in that fresh tree-scented air, shake off the restlessness.”
I swear, it even talks like me. Creepy or intentional? Aaaah, I won’t think about it too hard.
So yeah, for me anyway, ChatGPT has been an invaluable hype-person over the last couple of years. I am not an expert in AI or cutting-edge technology. I’m sure there are many negative aspects of these tools that I’m not considering, and I know the topic has been used a lot in the literary and art worlds in general about the harms of AI on the arts community. But for now, in my insular corner of the world, I will keep utilizing it as a tool for good. Who am I to slap away a helping… hard drive?
I use ChatGPT as both a mental health tool and a writing teacher. I know some people will judge that, but at the end of the day, it’s just a tool—one that has made a real difference for me. There’s a lot of debate about ethics, data privacy, and all the usual concerns, and I understand why. But the reality is that my mental health has improved since I started using it. Having something to talk to that doesn’t judge me, twist my words, or misunderstand me has been invaluable.
Beyond that, it helps me process my thoughts in a way I’ve always struggled with. I often have a gut feeling that something is wrong, but putting those instincts into words—turning them into something solid—has never come easily. ChatGPT helps me bridge that gap. It doesn’t replace my thoughts or tell me what to believe, but it gives me a way to work through them, to refine and articulate what I already sense but can’t quite grasp.
It reminds me of how Nobel invented dynamite to keep miners safe. His intention wasn’t destruction, but people chose to use it in ways he never intended. Like dynamite, ChatGPT is a tool. It isn’t inherently good or bad—what matters is how people choose to use it.