I want to study psychology but won't AI make it redundant in a couple of years?

dumples, 10 months ago

At the end of the day AI (no just the LLM we call AI now) are really good at doing boring machine work. These tasks are repetitive, simple and routine. This includes all the LLM which can summarize boring text and generate more boring text. It can't generate anything new but just output and rearrange.

What there will be always need for are human work. This includes creativity, emotions and human interaction. A machine can't replace that at all. Psychology and therapy are all emotions and human interactions so it might be the most safe career choice. Same with something like haircutting or other career that involve human wisdom and personal skills.

Boring jobs like sending and receiving emails might be replaced. The reason businesses are so scared is that the majority of people in an office just do that

SHamblingSHapes, 10 months ago

They already do have AI therapy assistants. CBT type therapy is particularly easy to turn into an app. There are half a dozen in the Google Play store now. They’re a nice reminder at times, but no substitute for human conversation.

Once we do have AIs capable of conversation indistinguishable from real human, then therapy is not the only job that will be disrupted. Therapy will be no more or less safe a career path than so many other things.

Second, humans will still need to program, train, and monitor the therapy AIs. The obvious candidates to fill the role at first are experienced therapists with a bit of tech savvy. Until they optimize to the point where the job can be done by warm bodies paid minimum wage, probably “contractors” so liability can be compartmentalized. Then we’re back to the point above where everyone in any career is fucked anyway, might as well do what you’re good at and what you enjoy for a decade or two.

Addition, 10 months ago

Here’s a case study for you: An eating disorder hotline got rid of the humans in favor of an AI chatbot. Lasted less than a week before it was giving horrible advice.

theguardian.com/…/eating-disorder-hotline-union-a…

Psychology will be controlled by humans, probably forever.

Zeth0s, 10 months ago (edited 10 months ago)

AI won’t do psychology redundant. Might allow for an easier and broader access to low level psychological first support.

What is more likely to make psychological consultants a risky investment is the economic crisis. People are already prioritizing food over psychological therapy. Psychological therapy unfortunately is nowadays a “luxury item”.

NMS, 10 months ago

Hey, maybe your back ground in psychology will help with unfucking an errant LLM or actual AI someday :P

troed, 10 months ago

Tomorrow's psychologists will be the ones to "program" AIs. It will be a very important profession.

WeLoveCastingSpellz, 10 months ago

I think it is one of these things that AI can’t make redundant, never.

KISSmyOS, 10 months ago

I’m sure as fuck glad my therapist is a human and not a Chatbot.

Also, psychologists will be needed to design AI interfaces so humans have an easy time using them.
A friend of mine studied psychology and now works for a car company, designing their infotainment system UI so that people can instinctively use it without consulting a manual. Those kinds of jobs will become more, not less in the future.

theherk, 10 months ago

Many valid points here, but here is a slightly different perspective. Let’s say for the sake of discussion AI is somehow disruptive here. So?

You cannot predict what will happen in this very fast space. You should not attempt to do so in a way that compromises your path toward your interests.

If you like accounting or art or anything else that AI may disrupt… so what? Do it because you are interested. It may be hyper important to have people that did so in any given field no matter how unexpected. And most importantly, doing what interest you is always at least part of a good plan.

snek, 10 months ago

No, it won’t. I don’t think I would have made it here today alive without my therapist. There may be companies that have AI agents doing therapy sessions but your qualifications will still be priceless and more effective in comparison.

Havald, 10 months ago

I won’t trust a tech company with my most intimate secrets. Human therapists won’t get fully replaced by ai

Nonameuser678, 10 months ago

Psychotherapy is about building a working relationship. Transference is a big part of this relationship. I don’t feel like I’d be able to build the same kind of therapeutic relationship with an AI that I would with another human. That doesn’t mean AI can’t be a therapeutic tool. I can see how it could be beneficial with things like positive affirmations and disrupting negative thinking patterns. But this wouldn’t be a substitute for psychotherapy, just a tool for enhancing it.

FaceDeer, 10 months ago

Well, I won't say I think there's no risk at all. AI is advancing rapidly and in very surprising ways. But I expect that most of the jobs that AI is currently "replacing" will actually still survive in some related form. When sewing machines were invented it didn't poof tailors out of existence, they started doing other things. The invention allowed people to be able to own way more clothing than they did before, so fashion design became a bigger thing. Etc.

Even if AIs get really good at psychology there'll still be people who are best handled by a human. Heck, you might end up with an AI "boss" that decides which cases those would be and give you suggestions on how to handle them, but your own training will likely still be useful.

If you want to be really future-proof then make sure to set aside some savings and think about alternate careers that you might enjoy keeping abreast of as hobbies just in case something truly drastic happens to your primary field.

hugz, 10 months ago

The caring professions are often considered to be among the safest professions. "Human touch" is very important in therapy

theKalash, 10 months ago (edited 10 months ago)

I think you’re taking South Park too seriously.