Artificial Intelligence and the Potential Transformation of Mental Health

Importance: The potential of tools using artificial intelligence (AI) to address the many challenges in delivery of mental health care has been widely discussed. However, the possible negative consequences of AI for such care have received less attention. Observations: Integrating AI with mental health care has the potential to expand access and improve quality of care. It may also contribute to improvements in diagnosis, risk stratification, and development of novel therapeutics. At the same time, availability of AI chatbots and stratification algorithms may diminish access to human-delivered care. Reliance on AI tools may have other unanticipated adverse consequences on clinical practice, including diminished human clinician skill. The probabilistic nature of many of these tools, including large language models, makes their capacity to cause harm difficult to determine. Conclusions and Relevance: The likely benefits of AI for psychiatric care delivery must be balanced against substantial risks. Strategies to mitigate this risk may require regulation to enhance transparency and systematically evaluate the impact of AI in practice, as well as clinician training to make optimal use of these emerging methods.