On Saturday 25 October 2025, I had the privilege to speak at “Mental Well-Being For All 2025”, an event organised by the Abhyas School of Yoga, in collaboration with the Indira Gandhi Centre for Indian Culture and the Ministry of Health.
The gathering brought together people from NGOs, corporates, ministries, the civil service, healthcare and the social sciences to share their perspectives on mental well-being. One of the most touching moments was watching children from local shelters perform on stage.
I was invited to speak on “Artificial Intelligence & Human Operation: How Technology Can Support and Challenge Mental Health.” I explored the idea that AI is not just a machine, but also a mirror of ourselves as it reflects our cognitive patterns, our assumptions and our biases, especially through the data we choose to feed it. I said that AI is best understood as an extension of our mind, not a replacement for it.
I spent some time unpacking both the positive and negative aspects of AI. On the positive side, AI enables therapy chatbots, mood-tracking wearables and predictive models that can help detect early signs of depression or burnout. On the negative side, the same technologies can amplify loneliness, fuel anxiety and isolate the very people who are already most vulnerable.
This is why it is essential for all of us to become AI Literate. We need to understand how these tools shape our emotions, our attention and our relationships. What does it mean to be “mentally healthy” in a digital society? In many ways, learning about AI is also an exercise in self-awareness.
My sincere thanks to the Abhyas School of Yoga for the kind invitation, especially Priyanka Prakash (Executive Business Developer and Wellness Specialist) and Alla Kozyreva (Leadership Well-being Trainer). I am also grateful to the management and staff of the Indira Gandhi Centre for Indian Culture and the Ministry of Health for their contribution in making this event possible.
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