The AI Fundamentalists
The AI Fundamentalists
Dr. Andrew Clark & Dr. Sid Mangalik
AI in practice: LLMs, psychology research, and mental health
42 minutes Posted Sep 4, 2025 at 5:00 am.
Introduction to Adi Ganesan
LLMs for assessment and conversational support
Challenges with AI as therapeutic agents
Validating LLMs for mental health applications
"Theory of Mind" in AI systems
Balancing "Good enough" with research goals
Final thoughts on LLMs and mental health
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Show notes
We’re excited to have Adi Ganesan, a PhD researcher at Stony Brook University, the University of Pennsylvania, and Vanderbilt, on the show. We’ll talk about how large language models LLMs) are being tested and used in psychology, citing examples from mental health research. Fun fact: Adi was Sid's research partner during his Ph.D. program. Discussion highlights Language models struggle with certain aspects of therapy including being over-eager to solve problems rather than building understand...