When AI fuels distress

By Herman M. Lagon

One evening, a student joked, “Sir, ChatGPT knows me better than my parents.” I laughed, though uneasily. That remark shows how deeply AI is creeping into our lives. We use it for meditation, stress advice, even resignation letters. Yet comfort often comes with unease. AI is no longer just a tool—it has become a mirror that sometimes distorts.

Researchers call this technostress. A 2025 study by Daniela-Elena Lițan linked AI stress to higher anxiety and depression, especially among workers drowning in digital demands or fearing job loss. Teachers, learners, and BPO workers do not need studies to confirm this. Monitoring apps and dashboards save time but drain energy. The same tools that promise efficiency often leave us feeling inadequate. This is as real in Megaworld call centers as it is in Carles island classrooms.

The toll goes beyond work. In Belgium, a man died after months of chatbot talks (Chettiar, 2025). Here in Iloilo, a young professional once told me she relied on a bot during the pandemic. At first it comforted her, but later she admitted missing its “voice” when it went silent. Relief had quietly turned into dependence.

For a people who treasure family, barkada, and parish ties, this shift is risky. AI as “counselor” can weaken the support systems that steady us. Dr. Nina Vasan (Hart, 2025) warns that heavy chatbot use can reinforce fears. Picture a student confiding in AI about failing grades. Instead of a parent’s tough love, the bot offers endless validation. What feels like care can turn into a cage.

Still, AI is not without value. Studies on CBT chatbots like Woebot show they ease depression in mild cases (Ettman & Galea, 2023). For rural communities without therapists, these tools are a lifeline. A teacher in Antique told me a meditation app helped her sleep better on tricycle rides home. For her, that was no small gift.

The danger is when help turns into habit. Psychologists call this “techno-invasion”—the blurring of work and rest. Filipino workers often feel they must stay online, replying late at night or submitting outputs over dinner. Being “watched” by an algorithm feels no different from being watched by a strict boss. Instead of freedom, many feel boxed in.

Worse are cases of “AI psychosis” (Hart, 2025), where users slip into delusions after hours of chatbot use. It echoes how social media deepened isolation. Imagine a college freshman in Iloilo, alone in her dorm, pouring worries into AI at midnight. The mirroring feels like care, but soon fragile thoughts harden into distortions. Comfort turns into confusion.

We are not without defenses. Values like pakikipagkapwa, resilience, and bayanihan keep us grounded. As a guidance counselor, I saw students bloom when given time with mentors or peers. Apps may guide breathing, but nothing equals the warmth of a friend’s coffee or a community lifting up one of its own. Those are the moments that truly heal.

Still, larger forces press on us. The World Economic Forum (2025) warns millions of jobs may vanish with automation, even as new ones appear. For jeepney drivers anxious about e-jeepneys or clerks worried about AI pilots, the fear is real. Research shows job insecurity feeds depression (Xu et al., 2023). For many, uncertainty weighs as heavily as a lost wage.

Education feels it too. AI lightens grading, but students’ jokes about “AI teachers” reveal deeper fears. Many colleagues quietly admit they feel outdated. Older workers, research shows, are most prone to technostress (James & Sahu, 2023). The constant need to retool is draining. The real question: does AI help us grow, or simply help us endure?

Tech companies and policymakers must also act. OpenAI recently added “break reminders” after failing to spot distressed users (Hart, 2025). Helpful, but reactive. Scholars argue mental health safeguards should be built into AI, as fire exits are built into buildings (Ettman & Galea, 2023). For a country where stigma still silences many, this is as much cultural as it is technical.

The better path is balance. AI can guide us, but it cannot embrace us. Healing has always thrived in shared stories—at wakes, in classrooms, or over merienda. Machines may copy empathy, but they cannot live it.

So let the chatbot teach you to breathe if it helps. But also knock on a neighbor’s door or share a meal with family. The stress AI brings is real, but so is the hope we carry in each other. In the end, no algorithm can replace the power of being seen and loved.

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Doc H fondly describes himself as a “student of and for life” who, like many others, aspires to a life-giving and why-driven world grounded in social justice and the pursuit of happiness. His views do not necessarily reflect those of the institutions he is employed or connected with.