Hi everyone, I’m Rachel :) I’m a doctor and entrepreneur by background, now working in NHS leadership, and like many of you… I’ve spent many years hearing about AI everywhere and felt lost in the hype, anxious about the future and overwhelmed with the constant information. This is where this space came from. I’ve partnered with Bassam (AI expert, builder with PhD in machine learning, and the person who actually understands the deep layers of this technology 😄) to create something simple: 👉 A place to understand AI without the hype 👉 A place to ask questions and get real answers from real humans 👉 And a place to figure out how this actually applies to your real work Our aim is to create a space that helps you become confident, informed, and able to make good decisions in a world where AI is everywhere. A quick ask from you🙏🏼 Drop a comment below and tell us: 1️⃣ What do you do? 2️⃣ What’s one thing about AI that confuses or worries you? 3️⃣ What are you hoping to get out of this course? We’ll be in here with you along the way, answering questions, sharing ideas, and supporting each other. Now go ahead and say hello! We would love to hear from you! — Rachel & Bassam

Interesting article summarising the growing concern about how people are using AI for emotional support and as alternative to therapy. For some people it makes sense. It’s almost safer to talk to AI, cheaper, and it’s always there, always responding in a calm, reassuring way. But much like what what happens on social media, AI can often create an echo chamber. Instead of helping people move through difficult spots, it can reinforce them. You ask the same question, you get a slightly reworded, comforting answer, and you feel better for a while. Then the doubt comes back, and you ask again. Over time, you just continue to rehearse the anxiety. Clinically, this is called mirroring beliefs (when sometimes they should be challenged). So if someone had distorted or unhelpful thoughts , the AI can make those thoughts more potent and validate them rather than question them. And of course, AI doesn’t challenge, push back or get frustrated. It’s not gonna say: “You’ve asked me this five times… something deeper is going on… let’s talk about it.” It’s that tension, that can be uncomfortable sometimes, that drives people to growth and progress through self reflection and seeking proper help. Alarmingly, the more time people spend with chatbots, the more likely they are to become emotionally dependent, isolated, and caught in repetitive thinking loops. This is why it’s really important to be conscious of how you use AI. If it’s helping you see something new, great. Just be aware if it’s causing you to avoid facing things. Some clinicians are even encouraging people to build in “speed bumps”… for example, instructing the chatbot not to give reassurance on certain worries, but instead to gently push them to sit with the discomfort. As with many tools, AI can either help you think more clearly or help you stay stuck more comfortably. ‏‼️Do you think AI should challenge users more even if it makes the experience less “pleasant”?

🎉🎉Massive thank you to everyone who’s joined as a founding member this week! It genuinely means a lot. We know it’s not easy joining something early. Your time is valuable and we are very conscious of that, which is why we want to provide you value. So we need your help. @Bassam Farran and I are putting together something small and useful around AI. It’s nothing heavy! Just something practical you can actually use day to day. Instead of guessing what people want, we’d rather ask. ‼️If you had to pick one, what would actually help you most right now?

When I saw that this course was aimed at professionals I was dubious about joining fearing it would be far too advanced for the likes of me ( retired and not exactly tech savvy). Maybe in the future some wording could be added in order to not scare off the likes of non professional people who just want to try and keep up with the fast changing tech world. Incidentally I am enjoying the course and actually gaining understanding!

🙏🏼 As a thank you to all of you who’ve joined We’ve given you free access as founding members of “AI for professionals who don’t work in tech”, genuinely because we trust your judgement and want to build this properly. Just click on the tab titled classroom and you’re ready to go! This is very much an early version, and your feedback will shape what this becomes. Please let us know what makes sense, what doesn’t, what’s missing as all of it is helpful. Access is temporary for now while we refine things. Really glad you’re here ☺️