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Evaluation ViewAttendees 25

Panel Discussions

Technology/Digital Health

Panel Discussion 20 - Harnessing AI to Improve Mental Health Care: Opportunities and Challenges

Saturday, November 22, 2025
11:45 AM - 1:15 PM CST
Location: Strand 1, Level 2
Earn 1.5 Credit
Keywords: Technology / Mobile Health, Treatment Development, Translational Research
Recommended Readings: Stade, E. C., Stirman, S. W., Ungar, L. H., Boland, C. L., Schwartz, H. A., Yaden, D. B., ... & Eichstaedt, J. C. (2024). Large language models could change the future of behavioral healthcare: a proposal for responsible development and evaluation. NPJ Mental Health Research, 3(1), 12.,   Templin, T., Perez, M. W., Sylvia, S., Leek, J., & Sinnott-Armstrong, N. (2024). Addressing 6 challenges in generative AI for digital health: A scoping review. PLOS digital health, 3(5), e0000503.,   Bernstein, E. E., Jaroszewski, A. C., Jacoby, R. J., Bailen, N. H., Ragan, J., Usmani, A., & Wilhelm, S. (2025). Feasibility of using ChatGPT to generate exposure hierarchies for treating obsessive compulsive disorder. Behavior Therapy.,   ,  
Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to revolutionize mental health care by significantly enhancing access to high-quality, evidence-based therapies. However, with its promise come complex challenges and potential pitfalls that must be carefully navigated. This panel brings together experts from both academia and industry who specialize in mental health and AI to discuss how AI can transform mental health care and how to think about and address challenges and ethical considerations that may arise.
The panelists include world-renowned clinical researchers with extensive experience in developing and testing evidence-based therapies for disorders such as obsessive-compulsive disorder and major depression, who are now pioneering AI-driven mental health tools. The discussion will focus on key areas where AI can drive improvements in mental health care, including assessment, education and training, and treatment delivery. Panelists will highlight the technological innovations behind AI-driven interventions and discuss how these technologies can enhance equitable and inclusive access, engagement, monitoring, fidelity, and treatment outcomes. In addition to showcasing the benefits, the panel will address the challenges, possible pitfalls and barriers to integrating AI into existing mental health systems, emphasizing ethical considerations, data privacy, user perceptions, and the critical role of human clinicians. The panelists will offer practical recommendations for researchers, clinicians, policymakers, and technologists on the responsible application of AI in mental health care. They will also underscore the importance of fostering cross-disciplinary collaborations to realize the full potential of AI in promoting rigorous science and delivering inclusive, affirming therapies.

Learning Objectives:

At the end of this session, the learner will be able to:
  1. Describe the potential benefits and applications of AI in various aspects of mental health care, including assessment, training, and treatment.
  2. Identify the key technological innovations behind AI-driven interventions.
  3. Discuss the challenges to integrating AI into mental health systems, including ethical considerations, data privacy, and users' perceptions.
  4. Analyze the role of human clinicians in AI-enhanced mental health care and how AI-driven tools can complement them to enhance effective care.
  5. Discuss practical recommendations for establishing collaborations required to develop and evaluate AI-driven mental health tools.