Youth mental health, AI companions & Ethical AI practice | Dr. Marina A. Badillo-Diaz

This episode explores how AI is reshaping school-based social work and youth mental health, through the lens of Dr. Marina Badillo-Diaz’s work as a professor and founder of The AI Social Worker. The conversation covers global disparities in access to mental health care, how AI tools and AI companions are already part of students’ lives, and why ethical, human-centered integration of technology is essential. Dr. Badillo-Diaz describes both the risks (from deepfakes to unsafe chatbots and child exploitation) and the possibilities (equity, access, support for neurodiverse learners, and time-saving tools for practitioners), emphasizing that AI should support—not replace—the human relationships at the heart of social work.​