Evidence from the Frontline: Mental Health in Crisis Affected Contexts, episode 6: AI and chatbots

“Too far, too fast?”In this sixth episode, Sarah Harrison, Director of the MHPSS Hub, and Dan Amias, Senior Innovation Learning Adviser at Elrha, speaks with Mercy Githara, MHPSS Manager at the Kenya Red Cross Society, and Anne de Graaf, Technical Officer at the World Health Organization (WHO) about two chatbots: STARS, a non-AI chatbot developed by WHO, and Chat Care, an AI chatbot being deployed in Kenya by the Red Cross.Key resources for practitioners:Kenya Red Cross Society: Chat Care, AI Powered Mental Health Chatbot  WHO: Doing What Matters in Times of Stress evidence based self-help guide WHO: STARS chatbot for more information contact [email protected] Red Cross Digital MHPSS pledge: Leveraging and facilitating technology-empowered pathways  MHPSS Hub resources on Suicide prevention:Find infographics, videos, podcasts, guides and tools on suicide prevention Read more about the research:STARS chatbot (non-AI): de Graaff A.M, et al. Evaluation of a Guided Chatbot Intervention for Young People in Jordan: Feasibility Randomized Controlled Trial JMIR Ment Health  Keyan, D., et al.  The development of a World Health Organization transdiagnostic chatbot intervention for distressed adolescents and young adults.  Akhtar, A., et al. Scalable Technology for Adolescents and Youth to Reduce Stress in the Treatment of Common Mental Disorders in Jordan: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial. Karim Chatbot: Madianou, M. Nonhuman humanitarianism: when “AI for good” can be harmful. Information, Communication & SocietyTorous, J. et al. Assessing generative artificial intelligence for mental health, The Lancet.Spencer SW, Masboungi C. Enabling access or automating empathy? Using chatbots to support GBV survivors in conflicts and humanitarian emergencies, International Review of the Red Cross. Developing digital MHPSS resources:Reach out to the MHPSS Hub: [email protected] or Elrha: [email protected] for collaboration on developing digital MHPSS approaches.Evidence from the Frontline: Mental Health in Crisis-Affected Contexts is a six-episode mini-series produced in collaboration between the MHPSS Hub and Elrha, designed for practitioners working in humanitarian and crisis contexts, the series highlights impactful interventions and practical insights from experts in the field.