Impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on Psychological and Mental Health Promotion: An Opinion Piece

Abstract

The digital revolution has made integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into the medical sector easier. AI is currently being used to speed up the detection of diseases in their early stages, facilitate the delineation and understanding of disease variations, and improve optimised treatment protocols. Psychology is no exception, as new role players have emerged, most notably the incorporation of AI into both psychological research and clinical practice. However, there is an apparent unease with AI as a technological breakthrough advancing science in mental health, such as data privacy, national guidelines on the use of AI, successful integration of users into the clinical setting and empathy, compared to human psychologists. Regardless, AI functions in psychology are gradually snowballing. We present an opinion on the impact of AI on improving mental health based on the exploration of available published evidence. We highlight the potential of AI in improving mental health care through mental health disorder detection, diagnosis, treatment, and public health education. The article also discusses the potential challenges and future directions, highlighting the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration and developing novel AI-based approaches to improve mental health outcomes.