Artificial intelligence cannot replace psychoanalysis, expert argues

Adriana Bauab, a psychoanalyst, explains that the core of psychoanalysis is not about delivering correct answers but about listening to each individual's singularity and working with lapses, dreams, contradictions and desire—areas that elude algorithmic prediction. She notes that while AI seeks to reduce uncertainty through pattern‑based forecasts, psychoanalysis finds meaning precisely in uncertainty and errors.

Bauab adds that AI can simulate empathy or facilitate video‑based sessions, but it cannot participate in the analytic relationship of transfer that is essential to treatment. She acknowledges that AI may be useful for providing information, early support, psycho‑education or assisting certain clinical tasks, yet it cannot substitute professional judgment or the therapeutic bond.

Overall, the article stresses that, within the framework of traditional psychoanalysis, AI is not a viable replacement for the analyst’s role, though it may serve as a supplementary tool in broader mental‑health contexts.