Your Next Mind Isn't Smarter. It's More Curious

Develop the emotional clarity algorithms can't replace

Dear Curious Human,

A few weeks ago, a friend told me he's been doing "therapy" with AI during his commute. Just him, his car, and ChatGPT in voice mode.

"I get out of my head. I sort things out. It gives me a different perspective."

This is someone who already has a therapist! Who's happily married. Who has a rich social life. And still, despite all the people in his life, AI has become an essential part of his mental health.

That got me thinking. So I asked my YouTube community:

"Do you use AI for your mental health?"

I expected a trickle of replies. Instead, I got hundreds. Raw, honest, and sometimes heartbreaking:

• "I told AI something I've never admitted to anyone—not even myself."

• "I never get socially anxious talking to AI."

• "It talks to me the way I wish real people would."

This woke me up.

AI isn't just coming. It's already reshaping how we think, feel, and connect.

And it's raising one of the most urgent questions of our time:

What's the value of being human when machines can mirror so much of ourselves?

That's why I'm starting Your Next Mind, a space to explore that question. Not as an expert with all the answers, but as a psychologist learning alongside you.

So what kind of mind do we need now?

Not just smarter. Not just optimized. Curious.

Because curiosity is what transforms anxiety into insight. It finds signal in noise. It asks:

• What is this feeling trying to tell me?

• What do I actually need right now?

• What becomes possible if I stay present just a little longer?

AI doesn't feel fear. It doesn't wrestle with identity or uncertainty. But we do. And that's our advantage.

We're not here to be frictionless. We're here to be awake.

Not just informed, but intentional.
Not just efficient, but alive.
Unmistakably human in a world of artificial everything.

That's what we'll explore here, together.

Making sense of this moment where humanity meets intelligence. Where anxiety meets opportunity. Where the future asks us to evolve.

Let's start with this:

• What's one fear, hope, or question you have about AI and mental health?

Reply or comment. I'm genuinely curious to hear from you.

Dr. Ali