AI AND ITS IMPACT ON SELF-ESTEEM

“Believe in yourself up here and it will make you and it will make you stronger than you could ever imagine”. _Sarah Dessen

Does artificial intelligence impact the esteem of individuals?

● How is Human intelligence turned to man-made global application?

The ability to learn from experience, think rationally, solve issues, use language, adapt to one's surroundings, and make decisions and judgements is referred to as human intelligence. It is the way of turning human intelligence to broad ranges of applications that has helped the world in developing technically and economically progressively. The term “intelligence” refers to “the ability to judge well, reason well and understand well. The “intelligence” is man-made or artificial and does not have any biological covariance or influence. Therefore, as long as humans are (at least, periodically) intelligent, the answer to the question of whether intelligent robots exist appears to be evident. Artificial intelligence forms the bridge between human learning to machine learning (Machine Learning (Parallel to Human Learning). In the identical approach humans learn from experience, machines "learn" from data. Human experience is replaced by data, which includes Text, Visual, Auditory, and behavioural data. Additionally, text represents language intelligence, language includes visual–spatial intelligence, Audio accounts to linguistic intelligence and behaviour data counts to social intelligence.

 ● Ways humans are using Artificial intelligence?

AI technology has advanced significantly in recent years, resulting in the creation of new techniques for rapidly processing vast volumes of data and forecasting based on historical data. Machine learning, deep learning, natural language processing, speech recognition, and computer vision are some of the methods utilised in artificial intelligence (Hong and Curran, 2019). AI may create entirely new compositions from scratch or replicate current artwork. It can also be used to create abstract images that are the product of random algorithms rather than the creative vision of humans (Mikalonyt_ e and Kneer, 2021) Both teachers and students have benefited greatly from artificial intelligence in the classroom. It has been a fantastic resource for reading and getting ready for pupils. It has greatly improved the information's accessibility. AI has demonstrated its importance, from spending hours looking for books in the library to finding PDFs with a single click. Artificial intelligence is used in every area such as daily life, education, healthcare, business, security defence, transportation, and psychological support.

 ● How is Self-esteem important?

A person's overall assessment of their own value or worth is referred to as self-esteem. It shows how much someone values, likes, and respects themselves as well as how deserving they think they are of humanity.

Key features of self-esteem which include sense of self-worth, Self-acceptance, Self-confidence, Emotional attitude toward the self. There are two types of self-esteem: High and Low.  High self-esteem is the result of having realistic self-confidence, being resilient to emotional ups and downs, and being able to take criticism or rejection. Low self-esteem is caused by feelings of inadequacy or inferiority as well as excessive self-doubt.

A psychological perspective of self-esteem includes global attitude toward the self. According to Carl Rogers, a renowned psychologist, when people receive unconditional positive respect, self-esteem grows. This is especially important in collectivistic societies like India, where self-concept is heavily influenced by social and familial approbation.

Self-esteem is frequently influenced by family expectations (social roles, obedience, and academic achievement), Social comparison (marriage milestones, careers, and grades). Although they may occasionally impede public self-praise, cultural norms like humility and reverence for elders nonetheless have an impact on one's sense of inner worth.

● The interplay of AI and self-esteem?

Artificial intelligence (AI) is made up of intelligent systems that mimic human cognitive processes, whereas self-esteem is a person's overall assessment of their own value. AI has a big impact on how people view their skills, worth, and identity as it permeates more and more aspects of daily life, education, employment, health, and social contact. This relationship is reciprocal; depending on the situation and use, AI can either strengthen or weaken self-esteem. When applied carefully, AI can boost competence, inclusivity, and self-belief, all of which contribute to healthy self-esteem. AI can be useful in increasing self esteem in several ways such as daily life, education, healthcare, business, security defence, transportation, and psychological support.

● Role of self-esteem in AI and education:

Positive Impact can include adjusting content to each student's pace; personalised learning systems lessen the likelihood of repeated failure. A key element of self-esteem, academic self-efficacy, is enhanced by prompt feedback. Access to high-quality resources boosts the confidence of students from rural or underprivileged backgrounds. In India, AI-based learning tools increase the confidence of first-generation students by helping them prepare for board exams, NEET, and JEE. Few of the adverse effects might be learner's perception of personal competence may be diminished by an excessive reliance on AI. Self-esteem may be lowered by continual comparison using rankings and statistics. Instead of blaming their own efforts for their achievement, students might credit AI.

● Role of Self-esteem in AI and healthcare:

AI is used by humans to improve diagnosis, treatment, and care in the following areas: drug development; medical image processing (X-rays, MRIs); disease prediction and early detection; and mental health chatbots. AI supports physicians but does not take the role of human empathy and clinical judgement.

● Role of self-esteem in AI and business:

AI enhances productivity and judgement like chatbots for customer service, forecasting demand, identification of fraud, optimisation of the supply chain, predictive upkeep. AI is used by Indian entrepreneurs in banking, e-commerce, and logistics to effectively serve big populations.

● Role of self-esteem in AI and security defence:

AI supports safety and protection in surveillance systems, cybersecurity threat detection, disaster prediction and response, and ethical human oversight remains essential to prevent misuse.

● Role of self-esteem in AI and transportation:

AI assists human mobility and safety includes traffic management, driver assistance systems, autonomous vehicles, and public transport optimization.

● Role of self esteem in AI and psychological support:

AI aids mental health and wellbeing like emotional support chatbots, stress monitoring apps, behavioural pattern analysis. However, AI cannot replace human counselling, empathy, or therapeutic relationships. Because it affects how people seek assistance, interact with therapies, and gain from them, self-esteem is a critical component of AI-based psychological support. AI solutions provide anonymous, nonjudgmental, and freely accessible support, making it simpler for people with low self-esteem to get help while maintaining their sense of worth. In contrast, people with low self-esteem frequently avoid traditional mental health facilities out of fear of stigma and judgement. By offering regular emotional validation, tailored coping mechanisms, and encouraging comments that boost emotions of competence and control, AI systems can strengthen self-esteem. AI-based support can serve as a culturally appropriate initial step towards care in the sociocultural setting of India, where social acceptability is highly valued and mental health issues are frequently minimised. Healthy self-esteem, however, is crucial to avoiding an excessive reliance on AI, underscoring the necessity of striking a balance between technology assistance and human empathy and relationships.

 In summary, artificial intelligence significantly boosts self-esteem by providing people with individualised, accessible, and nonjudgmental support that fortifies emotions of competence, autonomy, and self-worth. AI helps people overcome their fear of failing, lessen stigma, and increase their self-confidence through adaptive learning, skill development, and psychological support tools. AI can offer a nurturing environment for development and introspection in cultures like India, where social comparison and performance expectations have a significant impact on self-esteem. However, the beneficial effects of AI on self-esteem rely on its ethical, human-centred application, making sure that technology enhances rather than substitutes real human connection and emotional support.

 “Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence”. _Helen Keller

By:

PSYCHO SOCIAL COUNSELLING SERVICE AND PVT. LTD.

Moumita Mallick

Clinical Psychologist (RCI Registered), Faculty (MSUB, India) 

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