A 10-year-old girl watches YouTube with a friend during their after-school program. An ad pops up. A two-minute quiz can tell her if she has ADHD. She takes it, of course. And just like that, she comes home to talk to her child psychiatrist dad about how she has ADHD.

This story is not unique. Mental health awareness has become one of Canada’s most visible public health projects. The messaging is everywhere: Bell Let’s Talk, school wellness e-mails, workplace campaigns, social media initiatives.

Yet despite these efforts, population-level mental health keeps declining. Medication use is increasing. How can this be?

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Professor Michael Inzlicht is featured in a recent Toronto Star article about Toronto’s growing “edutainment” scene. 

The article says that there is a growing appetite for bringing lectures into local bars, where young professionals gather to learn, connect, and share ideas over food and drinks. Events like Brains & Barstools blend casual socializing with talks from experts on topics ranging from AI empathy to literature and politics. With weekly sellouts, these gatherings highlight a rising interest for community, curiosity, and meaningful conversation.

Asked why he was interested in participating in the event, Professor Inzlicht is quoted as saying: "I like beer, and I like talking to people." Adding: "I suspect there were fewer people here on their phones than in a typical lecture of mine."

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"I am aware it's a machine but it's super convenient and knows how to listen well whenever I need it," says Anna, a Ukrainian living in London. She is talking about her regular use of the premium version of ChatGPT, a chatbot powered by artificial intelligence.

What Anna – the BBC is not using her real name to protect her identity – finds particularly valuable isn't necessarily the AI's advice, but its ability to give her space for self-reflection.

"I have a history with it, so I can rely on it to always understand my issues and communicate with me in a way that suits me," she says. She is aware that this might seem odd to many people, including her friends and family, which is why she has asked to remain anonymous.

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