Healthcare and Spiritual care in the dawn of AI

Axial Care and Solutions operates at the crossroads of health, healing, suffering, sociology, psychology, technology, and spirituality. We offer a holistic understanding of how our internal worlds—emotions, hopes, and desires—interact with our external environments to shape the quality of our lives and health.

What is Intelligence?

Intelligence is not a fixed trait; it evolves and adapts. Our brains are constantly growing and changing. How we use our minds to engage with the world around us—and how we allow our environment to shape our inner lives—determines the course of our intellectual development.

Relationships, whether with other people, our surroundings, or emerging technologies, play a critical role in this process. In particular, artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming an increasingly pervasive part of our environment, and it’s clear that AI is not going anywhere. It remains a concept that is emotionally, socially, and politically charged, making balanced evaluation a complex task. AI is one of the most advanced scientific endeavors of our time, raising both significant expectations and often-exaggerated fears. The discussion becomes even more charged when AI’s capabilities, especially those associated with consciousness—traditionally considered uniquely human or shared only with a few animals—are introduced.

This rapid acceleration in understanding both human cognition and the rise of AI technologies signals a major shift in our perception of self and technology. It is a transformation that is overwhelming, and rightly so. There are at least three factors fueling this epistemic explosion: significant advancements in our understanding of the cerebral bases of conscious perception, the impressive achievements of AI, and the increasing interaction between neuroscience and AI. These changes are reshaping how we think about intelligence, autonomy, and our very humanity.

The Clinical setting

How do we engage with AI in a clinical setting, especially within the realm of spiritual care? How do we relate to it, given that it now constitutes a substantial portion of our external environment? Can we be effective spiritual care providers without acknowledging the profound presence of AI in our lives, and soon, perhaps, in the clinic itself?

The challenge before us is to flip the script and find ways to embrace and integrate AI into the clinical space for spiritual care. This is not just a matter of surviving the pressures of an increasingly complex world but thriving within it. How can we navigate the technological upheavals and, at the same time, address the longstanding inequities in healthcare—rooted in racism, sexism, socioeconomic disparity, and other forms of discrimination?

How do we ensure that the quality of care we provide is inclusive, equitable, and just? We have the power to change the world around us, to shape the healthcare space into one that serves everyone more effectively.

By nurturing intelligence in all its forms—emotional, social, spiritual, and intellectual—we can better ourselves and, in turn, improve the healthcare system. At Axial Care and Solutions, we believe spiritual care is at the heart of person-centred, patient-focused, and holistic healthcare. Spiritual care, in this context, does not necessarily refer to organized religion, although faith traditions undeniably play an important role in many people's lives. Rather, spiritual care is about addressing the deep, often unspoken questions of meaning, purpose, and identity that arise in the face of illness and suffering.

Beyond religion

Many individuals do not identify with a particular religious tradition but are still profoundly concerned with existential questions, particularly when faced with life-altering health events. Are we prepared to offer truly person-centered care to those individuals? Can we effectively assess and address the signs of hope and hopelessness that manifest in the clinic? And more importantly, can we leverage the opportunities presented by AI to enhance spiritual care, rather than seeing it as a threat?

As AI continues to evolve, it is crucial that we adapt and learn how to use this technology in ways that enhance human connection and well-being. By integrating spiritual care with AI thoughtfully into the clinical space, we can offer more personalized, efficient, and equitable care. This requires not only embracing technological advancements but also remaining mindful of the deeper human needs that AI cannot replace: our search for meaning, our connections to others, and our desire to transcend suffering.

In the end, the intersection of AI, health, and spirituality is not just a question of technology, but of humanity itself. It is a challenge to our ethical and moral frameworks, pushing us to reconsider what it means to care for the whole person. By embracing this challenge, we can create a healthcare environment that is more inclusive, empathetic, and effective—one that not only addresses the physical needs of patients but also supports their emotional, social, and spiritual well-being.