Uncertainty, attitudes, ethics and expectations in AI-assisted therapy

Studies on AI in mental healthcare represent a growing field. It has emerged as an innovative approach that appears to address the accessibility gaps that traditional therapy is limited by. There is little published information on Indian young adults' attitudes and acceptance patterns towards AI in therapy. This study aims to examine the relationship between intolerance of uncertainty and acceptance of AI-integrated therapy among young adults and to understand the ethical discourse surrounding the topic. A mixed-methods research design was used to explore the study’s objectives. The sample of the study consisted of 300 Indian young adults aged 18-24 years old. The attitudes towards AI were measured using the General Attitude Towards Artificial Intelligence Scale (GAAIS), their intolerance for uncertainty was measured using the Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale (IUS-5), and a semi-structured interview was conducted to understand the ethics behind the topic of investigation. The study employed descriptive statistics and Spearman’s rank correlation. The study concludes that 66.3% Indian young adults hold a generally positive attitude towards AI. Intolerance of Uncertainty is related to both the positive and negative subscale of the GAAIS.