This article was originally published in Fortune.
Amidst America’s mental health crisis, emerging technologies now come to an anxious marketplace. Generative A.I, pundits claim, will inevitably lead to more loneliness, mass unemployment, and even the end of humanity, according to the most pessimistic voices. Throw in the lingering concerns over social media’s perils, and the doom and gloom becomes difficult to escape. Even the White House is on edge.
We are also seeing familiar stereotypes reemerge: Older generations are out of touch with technology and prone to panicking about it, while younger generations are naive about both its potential risks and their own dependence on it.