The Impact of AI on Mental Health — and How to Stay Safe When Using AI for Wellbeing Support

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming the way we live, work, and connect. From conversational tools like ChatGPT and virtual assistants like Siri, to social media algorithms and mental health apps such as Wysa, AI is woven into our everyday experiences.

As this technology evolves, the boundary between what’s real and what’s artificial is becoming increasingly blurred. Hyper-realistic videos and AI-generated content can now circulate online, creating fabricated scenes that look entirely authentic. Without critical thinking and media literacy, distinguishing fact from fiction can be challenging.

AI holds enormous promise for improving our wellbeing and supporting healthcare systems. But as with any powerful tool, it brings important ethical and safety considerations — especially when applied to something as sensitive and personal as mental health.

AI and the Mental Health Care Gap

Each year, over one million people are referred to UK mental health services, according to the University of Plymouth. Yet, just over half receive only a single session or self-guided workbook. Free support services can involve wait times of up to 12 weeks.

For those experiencing mental health challenges, reaching out for help is already a significant step. Facing long delays for support can intensify distress and hinder recovery. Early intervention is critical — and our current systems often struggle to deliver it.

This raises an important question: could AI help bridge this gap?

Research suggests that AI could play a role in identifying mental health concerns earlier, when interventions are most effective. Studies indicate that AI models can assist in predicting or classifying conditions such as depression, schizophrenia, and even suicidal ideation or attempts. These technologies could help improve triage systems or provide low-level support during waiting periods for professional care. However, while the potential is clear, this is still an emerging field. More research, regulation, and ethical oversight are needed to ensure that AI tools are safe, reliable, and used responsibly.

Ethical Considerations: Putting People First

As AI becomes more deeply integrated into mental health support, ethical principles must guide every stage of development and use. Protecting vulnerable individuals means prioritising:

• Privacy and informed consent – People must understand how their personal data is collected, used, and protected.
• Fairness and bias reduction – AI systems should perform accurately for everyone, regardless of gender, race, or background.
• Transparency – AI decision-making processes should be explainable and easy to understand.
• Human oversight – AI should complement, not replace, human expertise — especially in complex or high-risk situations.

These principles should be backed by rigorous testing, continuous monitoring, and regular ethical reviews. Aligning with established frameworks, such as those from the British Psychological Society (BPS) or the World Health Organisation (WHO), helps ensure AI is used safely and with integrity.

It’s also essential to address bias within AI systems. Dr. Joy Buolamwini’s research, for example, revealed that facial recognition technologies — often used to interpret emotional states — can struggle to accurately identify faces from minority backgrounds due to limited diversity in training data. This bias can lead to inequitable outcomes and reinforce existing disparities. To truly support everyone, AI in mental health must be inclusive and representative.

Building Safer AI: How Businesses Are Leading the Way

As AI becomes more embedded in business and wellbeing solutions, organisations are taking active steps to ensure safety, transparency, and trust.

Some of the key practices include:

• Reducing bias through diverse datasets and fairness testing.
• Ensuring robustness via rigorous validation and continuous improvement.
• Using Explainable AI (XAI) to make decision-making more transparent.
• Implementing ethical frameworks focused on fairness, accountability, and privacy.
• Maintaining human oversight in all critical or sensitive areas.
• Strengthening cybersecurity to safeguard systems from misuse and data breaches.

Collaboration is also crucial. By working together — across industries, academia, and government — we can establish shared standards that make AI safer and more dependable for everyone.

At its best, AI can help close gaps in care, support early intervention, and empower individuals to better manage their wellbeing. But its success depends on maintaining a clear focus on ethics, inclusivity, and human connection. As we move forward, it’s up to all of us — from developers to business leaders to end users — to ensure that AI supports mental health in ways that are responsible, compassionate, and genuinely beneficial to protect those who rely on it the most.