AI technologies in mental healthcare

Taking a closer look at mental healthcare, we observe a surge in investment, research, and marketing of mental health technologies, many of which incorporate artificial intelligence. The development of AI in this field is as broad as the field itself, with systems being created for a wide range of mental health issues and purposes. These systems use diverse types of data, extending far beyond traditional healthcare information sources. However, a key concern is that AI innovation in mental healthcare is often driven more by technological possibilities than by clinical relevance, patient needs, or the ethical principles that underpin high quality mental healthcare.

This can have negative impact on individuals, groups of people and society as a whole (see figure on the right). While there are direct risks that come with the use of the technology, such as the protection of health and privacy, the widespread use of AI in mental healthcare can also result in broader changes in understanding, conceptions, norms and principles in mental health. In order to steer AI innovation in the right direction, we need an ethics, rights and justice- centred approach to the research, development, approval and implementation of AI in mental healthcare.

For more reading, please see our policy brief: When people become datapoints: The potential impact of AI in mental healthcare

AI in mental health

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This project has been supported by the European Artificial Intelligence & Society Fund (EAISF), a collaborative initiative of the Network of European Foundations (NEF). The sole responsibility for the project lies with the organiser(s) and the content may not necessarily reflect the positions of EAISF, NEF or European AI Fund’s Partner Foundations.

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Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HADEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.