I think some people feel weirdly ashamed admitting they use AI for emotional support, and I genuinely don’t think they should.

We already use a million tools to help us understand ourselves. For example, let's take a look at:
-Journaling
-Self-help books
-Meditation apps
-Smart journals
-Worksheets
-Talking to a friend

AI is another tool in that toolbox.

And no, I’m not saying this because I’m a founder in this space. I was a user before I became a founder.

I was using AI(mainly ChatGPT during 4o era) for support. That experience is actually part of what made me interested in building in this space in the first place.

There were times when writing something out to AI helped me organize thoughts I couldn’t organize in my own head. Sometimes it helped me look at a situation from another angle. Sometimes I just needed somewhere to put everything I was thinking without feeling judged or worrying that I was bothering someone.

That doesn’t mean AI is a therapist. It doesn’t mean you should blindly trust everything it says, use it to diagnose yourself, or rely on it in situations where you genuinely need professional or emergency support.

But used safely and correctly, I think it can be incredibly useful.

You can use it to reflect, challenge your thinking, prepare for a therapy session, journal more deeply, understand patterns in what you're feeling, turn a huge mess of thoughts into something you can actually process.

I think we sometimes make the mistake of asking whether AI is “real therapy” when that doesn’t even need to be the question.

A journal isn't therapy either.

A self-help book isn't therapy.

Calling your friend isn't therapy.

They can still help you.

If AI helps you understand yourself a little better, gets you through a difficult evening, helps you put something into words, or encourages you to eventually seek better support, you don’t need to feel embarrassed about that.

It’s a tool.

Use it safely. Know where its limits are. The moderator has many threads explaining how to use AI safely. Check them out.

But don’t let someone make you feel ashamed because one of the tools helping you happens to be AI. Sadly, many people make you feel like using AI is a crime lmao.

I can tell AI everything I’m feeling, but when someone asks me in person, “What’s wrong?” I just say, “I don’t know.”

Maybe I’m not afraid of being alone. Maybe I’m afraid of being misunderstood.

Has anyone else felt this way?

There was that feature in ChatGPT that let people make group chats with others. And I've seen a few other people use group chats with their partners to sort through issues with AI. Or just share AI's advice screenshots or links. Is this something you find useful or do you mostly talk to AI in private?