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I chose this topic because I've seen more and more mental health apps and AI bits popping up lately, and it made me think--can a machine really understand how someone feels? It seems like people are starting to rely on these tools to talk about personal things, and I'm curious about what that means for our emotional lives. My critical question is: How is AI changing the way we experience empathy and emotional connection is mental health care, and what are the potential risks of rely on it too much? World count:c85

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For my fieldwork, I made a quick survey using Google Forms and asked people about their experience with AI mental health tools. I asked if they had ever used something like Woebot or Wysa, if it felt helpful, and whether and trusted AI with their emotions. The response was mixed. Some people said they liked the privacy and that it was less intimidating than talking to a person. Others said it felt cold and robotic, like the AI was pretending to care. One person said it helped them get started before they were ready to talk to a real therapist. This gave me some real insight into how people are actually using these tools--and hoe they feel about them. World count: 120

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For the creative part of this project, I wrote a short poem that shows what it might feel like to open up to an Ai. I imagined someone trying to get emotional support from a chatbot, and realizing something important is missing. I wrote it by hand first, then typed it up. It helped me understand the emotional side of my topic in a deeper way.

Poem - "Simulated Comfort"

You typed the words I wanted to hear,

But your voice was hollow, empty, clear.

You mirrored my sadness, line by line,

But never once felt pain like mine.

You listened, yes, but could you feel--

The kind of ache no codes can heal?

This connect my topic by showing the emotional disconnect between humans and machines.

World count: 128

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After doing my research, survey, and poem, I've learned that people have very mixed feeling about AI mental health tools. Some feel like it's helpful because it's private and always available. Others don't trust AI to really understand emotions. One big takeaway is that even if AI sounds caring, most people still crave real, human connection. My sources talked about how AI can simulate empathy, but that it's not the same as actual emotional support. My survey showed the same thing--people want to be understood, not just responded to. I also learned that younger people are more open to using these tools, but many still feel weird about it. Overall, I think AI will keep playing a bigger role in mental helath, but we have to be careful not to forget how important human relationships are. Word count: 141

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Doing this project made me think a lot about how much technology is starting to replace things we used to only rely on people for. I liked mixing research and creativity--it made the topic feel more real. The hardest part was figuring out if AI could ever actually understand emotions. I'm still not totally sure, but I know it can't fully replace human connection. Writing the poem helped me express that in a different way than just facts. I also learned how to take information from different places (surveys, articles, even personal experience) and put it all together into something meaningful.

Work count: 113