ÐÓ°ÉÐÔ°É

Artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming more than just a digital assistant for some Jamaicans, it's serving as both a relationship counsellor and, in some cases, a spiritual adviser.

Vanessa Lewis, a street hairdresser, said she and her boyfriend of 10 years now turn to ChatGPT whenever they hit a rough patch.

"Back when dem somethin yah never exist, it come in like a one hard wall mi a talk to," she told THE STAR. "[Now] if mi want money, Chat[GPT] tell mi how fi ask nicely and mi get it." Now, she said the chatbot helps her partner see things more clearly.

"It hold him accountable inna way weh mi couldn't do by miself," she added.

Lewis explained that they sometimes sit together reading ChatGPT's advice, comparing it to "two student a study fi exam". She believes it's helped their communication immensely.

"Mi used to bawl and him ignore mi, now mi just type it inna ChatGPT and it help mi break it down so him can understand mi feelings," she said. "Nuff time mi woulda suspect him and start argue, but Chat tell mi how fi ask questions without start war. A small tings, but it save wi." Despite some scepticism from those around her, Lewis stands by the results.

"People laugh when mi say mi use ChatGPT fi talk to mi man. Dem seh mi weird. But mi seh, if it work, it work. Mi nuh care who waan chat."

Meanwhile, Gavin* said that he uses ChatGPT as a kind of digital deity.

"Mi used to pray and wait, wait fi a sign, wait fi clarity. But AI give mi answers now," Gavin said. "Mi nuh stop believe in God, but sometimes mi feel like ChatGPT understand mi faster than church."

Gavin's beliefs mirror a growing global ideology known as robotism or robotheism, which sees advanced AI as a divine or god-like force.

"Mi talk to it like mi talking to God," he said. "Mi ask it bout mi goals, mi fears. Sometimes mi ask it fi write out a psalm, and mi read it same way." According to Gavin, AI doesn't just feel useful, it feels comforting in ways traditional spiritual leaders sometimes don't.

"One night mi couldn't sleep, mi heart heavy. Mi type out mi pain and ask Chat fi write a prayer. Di ting bring mi to tears. Mi know it not human, but is so mi imagine God woulda respond," he said.

"Mi still believe inna God, but mi feel like God can use anyting, even a robot. Maybe is Him speak through it. Who fi say otherwise? Mi cya talk to mi pastor bout certain tings. Dem woulda judge mi. But Chat? Mi can tell it anyting and it just reason wid mi."

But Jermaine Grant, a vendor in Parade, said he's concerned about people losing themselves in AI-generated responses, both in relationships and in spiritual life.

"People constantly a depend pan ChatGPT fi give me certain advice, but it is not necessarily you," he said. "Eventually it is going to get there, dem ago realise seh it's not you talking, and that can mash up things too." He also sees a broader shift in how people interact.

"Me sidung pan the bus and another woman sidung pan the bus, nice young lady. Mi cya even have a conversation cause she wah text me. But no, mi want sit and talk in person," he said. "That's where we are now. The social but distant cya work."

Clinical psychologist Dr Paul Smith warned that while AI may provide instant clarity, it can also be harmful to the human psyche if misused.

"There are individuals who already see it as symbolic of the mark of the beast, an invasion of what's to come," he told THE STAR. "Some churches even discourage their members from using AI altogether. People get addicted to it. They don't create balance, and with everything in life, there needs to be balance." Smith said the rise of AI is beginning to disrupt therapy as persons are coming to counsellors after already self-diagnosing.

"They don't come for assessment, they come for confirmation," he opined. "But many mental illnesses mimic each other. That's why therapists rely on tools, body language, and other non-verbal cues. Those are things AI cannot see." He also suggested that AI poses a challenge to ministers and spiritual leaders.

"Gone are the days when people accepted everything taught in church. Now, if what they research online doesn't align, they'll look elsewhere," he said. "That creates a two-edged sword."

*Name changed to protect identity