AI and Mental Health

Hey! I'd love to hear your thoughts, send me a voice note.*Note from Podcaster: Irregular Audio QualityAI is already becoming part of how people seek mental health support, but trust has not kept pace. Recent findings estimate that about six million people in Canada used, or may have used, AI-enabled tools for mental health support in the past year, while only 14% of the broader public trusts AI to provide safe and helpful support. What is drawing people to these tools? What’s keeping them away? Where might AI tools add value, and what safeguards are needed when privacy, informed consent, equity and professional judgment are at stake? In this episode, presented by Mental Health Research Canada, we bring together perspectives from research, system leadership and provider practice to explore what the newest research shows, what it can’t yet tell us and what responsible, human-centred use of AI should look like. The conversation focus not on replacing professional mental health care with AI, but on ensuring that innovation is guided by evidence, accountability and the needs of the people it is meant to serve.