Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a polarizing topic, with some embracing the technology with open arms and others avoiding it altogether. As with most innovations, there is probably a happy medium. We should not be afraid of the technology as a tool because it has so much potential for good. But it’s important to be cautious in how we apply it and work to ensure there are guardrails around its application.

There will, of course, be many nefarious, exploitative applications, as happens with all technology. There will also be plenty of applications with seemingly good intentions or short-term benefits, but the long-term may be quite hazardous. A good example is AI companion apps, where someone builds a relationship with an AI character that often makes them feel good, seen, or heard at first but can create a dependency on a parasocial relationship over time that may never truly be fulfilling and prevent the formation of actual human connection, which is essential to one’s mental and physical health.

Scenario is changing how people manage everyday stress and anxiety through hyper-realistic visualizations. By combining the science of visualization with clinical protocols and AI, Scenario simulates real-life situations, helping to shift people from rumination and avoidance into productive problem-solving, skill-building, and emotional resilience.

Visualization is the practice of imagining ourselves in future or past situations but handling them differently than our negative thought patterns fixate us on. Visualizing our real-life scenarios helps us build confidence, feel a stronger sense of control, and fully engage with those around us. This practice is so effective because it mirrors what we already do in our own heads but in a more productive way that drives action.

It’s an incredibly universal tool. Each person finds slightly different ways to use it. For some, it helps them break their negative thought spirals. Others might use it to identify things they can say or actions they can take. Some people use it to get a different perspective or to remove emotions from a situation and look at things more objectively.

Creating an experience like this would not have been possible without the advent of generative AI. In fact, it was the combination of our early testing with visualizations and the emergence of this powerful new technology that gave us our lightbulb moment in 2023.

For us at Scenario, there are a few guiding principles that govern how we integrate AI:

• We don’t allow people to interact directly with a Large Language Model (LLM). We’ve designed a very specific user interface that sits between the user and the LLM to ensure that folks can only use Scenario for our target application in a safe way.
• Every time we update the experience, we run a multitude of tests that must be signed off by our clinical science team.
• We carefully consider when the use of an LLM is appropriate and when evidence-based practices are more suitable. For example, we use an LLM to add dialogue and narration to a visualization to bring it to life, but when it comes to making recommendations on how to approach a specific problem or situation, we only draw from our own internal evidence-based data set.
• We are transparent with our users about how their data is being used and stored and where it is being shared (to LLMs we integrate).

When it comes to using AI, it is important to ask: “Is the application I’m using just doing things for me or helping me do things for myself?” The tech industry loves to play into our desire for convenience, and it’s hard not to fall into that trap, given our day-to-day lives can be hard and overscheduled. As AI becomes more of an integral part of our daily lives, it will create new opportunities for innovation while at the same time posing risks.

Good social health is determined by our ability to form and sustain meaningful, high-quality relationships. We can leverage AI technologies to put individuals on a path to creating healthy habits of social interaction, while at the same time keeping an open and critical eye as the technology evolves to ensure Scenario is helping people improve confidence, connection, and well-being across many facets of their lives.

Scenario is available to download from the App Store.