In a study published in Frontiers in Psychology, researchers have unveiled the remarkable social intelligence capabilities of artificial intelligence (AI) models compared to human psychologists. The study, conducted by Fahmi Hassan Fadhel, an associate professor of clinical psychology at Qatar University, sheds light on the potential of AI to revolutionize the field of counseling and psychotherapy.
Social intelligence (SI) plays a pivotal role in counseling and therapy, enabling practitioners to comprehend and respond effectively to the emotions and needs of their clients. To explore how AI measures up against human psychologists in this domain, Fadhel and his team compared the SI of AI models, including ChatGPT-4, Google Bard, and Bing, with that of psychologists at various educational levels.
The research involved 180 male psychologists from King Khalid University in Saudi Arabia, categorized into bachelor’s and doctoral students. Each participant, both human and AI, was presented with 64 scenarios designed to assess their social intelligence using the Social Intelligence Scale, a well-established tool in psychotherapy research.
Results from the study revealed significant disparities in SI between different AI models and human psychologists. Notably, ChatGPT-4 emerged as the frontrunner, outperforming all human psychologists by scoring 59 out of 64 on the Social Intelligence Scale. This remarkable achievement positions ChatGPT-4 as a formidable contender in understanding and navigating social interactions.
Furthermore, Bing, the AI-powered search service by Microsoft, demonstrated commendable performance, scoring 48 out of 64 and surpassing 90% of bachelor’s students and equalling 50% of doctoral students. In contrast, Google Bard exhibited a lower level of social intelligence, scoring 40 out of 64, akin to bachelor-level psychologists but falling short of doctoral-level proficiency.
These findings underscore the rapid advancements in AI technology and its potential to augment mental health services. The ability of AI models to match or exceed human performance in social intelligence tasks signifies a promising trajectory for integrating these technologies into therapeutic practices.
However, the study also raises critical questions regarding the training, development, and ethical implications of deploying AI in sensitive areas like mental health. While AI demonstrates remarkable proficiency in understanding and analyzing human emotions, concerns persist regarding its capacity to empathize and form genuine therapeutic connections.
As Fadhel aptly noted, "Perhaps the biggest caveats will relate to the capabilities of artificial intelligence in the future to understand and analyze human feelings and make decisions based on that. We do not know where developments in this field are headed."
Despite these challenges, the study heralds a new era in which AI stands poised to revolutionize psychotherapy and counseling, offering unprecedented insights and support to mental health practitioners worldwide.
Download paper: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1353022/full
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