More than 1 in 5 adults in the US experiences mental health problems, yet less than half of those in need receive professional treatment. Worldwide, the gap in supply and demand is so big that for every trained health professional there are over 10,000 potential clients. And it keeps widening year over year. The National Center for Health Workforce Analysis estimates that there will be a need for 60,000 additional mental health professionals by 2036, but predicts that instead, there will be over 10,000 fewer.

To reverse this trend, we need a revolution–a complete overhaul of the way we approach mental health. AI could power that revolution. By democratizing access to care and abandoning one-size-fits-all approaches that merely focus on “fixing” acute mental illness, AI can help us shift toward a more equitable and personalized care that aims to proactively boost psychological well-being. 

Thanks to a rapidly evolving technology landscape and recent breakthroughs in Generative AI, this alternate universe isn’t just a pipe dream. In 2023, the global AI mental health market was valued at over USD 921 million and it is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 30.8% until 2032. 

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I left Vögisheim – the tiny village of 500 people I grew up in – after graduating from high school and today live in New York City where I am a professor at Columbia University.

A difference like day and night. Unlike back home in the village, I barely know my neighbors. And they barely know me. We say hi to each other when we meet in the corridor. But they don’t know what I do for work. They don’t know my friends and family. And they certainly don’t know anything about my deepest fears or aspirations.

But as it turns out, you don’t have to live in a small, rural community to have someone watch and influence every step you take and choice you make. That’s because we all have digital neighbors.

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