AI for Mental Healthcare Must be Developed Carefully to Best Serve Patients

May 5, 2022

Artificial intelligence (AI) has risen into prominence in healthcare, providing patients and providers with helpful tools to improve healthcare outcomes. During the pandemic, mental healthcare saw increased adoption of AI solutions, but these tools are not fully matured and have notable issues that must be addressed. For example, the electronic health record (EHR) software developer Epic’s sepsis tool flopped when implemented into care systems. In addition, AI reflects the biases of those who design it and the data that trains it.

According to Dan Adler of Fast Company, “A widely-used algorithm used to refer people to “high-risk care management” programs was less likely to refer black people than white people who were equally sick. As mental health AI products are launched, technologists and clinicians need to learn from past failures of AI tools in order to create more effective interventions and limit potential harms.”