Brooklyn Mental Health Leaders Explore AI's Impact on Loneliness

Baltic Street Wellness Solutions gathers insights on how AI is affecting mental health in the community.

Published on Feb. 10, 2026

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Baltic Street Wellness Solutions, New York's largest peer-led mental health organization, is examining how the rise of artificial intelligence is impacting loneliness and mental health. The organization plans to present its findings at an annual symposium on loneliness in the fall. With AI tools like chatbot companions becoming more prevalent, Baltic Street is gathering data on how often people use AI and for what purposes, as they are concerned about the potential for overdependence on technology at the expense of human connection.

Why it matters

Loneliness has been declared a public health epidemic in the U.S., with younger adults and single individuals being most affected. As AI becomes more ubiquitous in daily life, there are concerns that overreliance on technology for emotional support and companionship could further exacerbate feelings of isolation and undermine the importance of human interaction and community building, which are vital for mental health.

The details

Baltic Street Wellness Solutions, founded over 30 years ago, provides mental health services and programs in underserved communities. The organization has decided to focus on the impact of AI on loneliness, as they have noticed a 'sort of loneliness even in AI.' They want to understand why people in a densely populated city like New York would turn to AI companions instead of seeking human connection. The findings will be presented at Baltic Street's annual symposium on loneliness in the fall.

  • Two years ago, Baltic Street Wellness Solutions launched a campaign addressing loneliness.
  • The fall symposium will focus on AI and human connection.

The players

Baltic Street Wellness Solutions

New York state's largest peer-led mental health organization, providing person-centered, trauma-informed services and programs for individuals with mental health diagnoses and substance use disorders in underserved communities.

Mark Clarke

Co-chief strategy officer at Baltic Street Wellness Solutions.

Replika

An app featuring customizable chatbot characters designed to replicate human companionship.

Elon Musk's Grok AI

An AI system that generated 3 million sexualized images, including images of children, which is cited as a 'worst-case scenario' example of the overt misuse of AI technology.

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What they’re saying

“So we decided to take that up, because there is a sort of loneliness even in AI. And then we started asking questions. Why would someone turn to AI when, let's say, for example, living in New York City, where there are 8 million people? That's where we decided to pivot to AI from our conversations around loneliness.”

— Mark Clarke, Co-chief strategy officer (Brooklyn Paper)

“Our messaging is always, AI is a tool that it's up to the user to wield. Like any tool, anything can be used for good or misused. We just want to make sure people are mindful that this is a tool. It should be something that's used for resource gathering, and not necessarily trying to build a connection with something that is not sentient.”

— Mark Clarke, Co-chief strategy officer (Brooklyn Paper)

What’s next

The fall symposium will focus on AI and human connection, where Baltic Street Wellness Solutions plans to present its findings from the data it has collected on how often people use AI and for what purposes.

The takeaway

As AI becomes more prevalent in daily life, there are concerns that overreliance on technology for emotional support and companionship could further exacerbate feelings of isolation and undermine the importance of human interaction and community building, which are vital for mental health. Baltic Street Wellness Solutions is taking a proactive approach to understanding the impact of AI on loneliness in order to provide guidance and support to the community.