Related papers: VERA-MH Concept Paper
Large language models (LLMs) are increasingly explored as scalable tools for mental health counseling, yet evaluating their safety remains challenging due to the interactional and context-dependent nature of clinical harm. Existing…
AI chatbots already function as de facto mental health support tools for millions of people, including people in crisis. Yet, they lack the clinical validation, shared standards, and coordinated oversight that their societal role demands.…
Objective: This paper introduces a patient simulator for scalable, automated evaluation of healthcare conversational agents, generating realistic, controllable interactions that systematically vary across medical, linguistic, and behavioral…
Mental health concerns are rising globally, prompting increased reliance on technology to address the demand-supply gap in mental health services. In particular, mental health chatbots are emerging as a promising solution, but these remain…
There are growing concerns about the risks posed by AI companion applications designed for emotional engagement. Existing safety evaluations often rely on self-reported user data or interviews, offering limited insights into real-time…
Large language models (LLMs) are increasingly used for mental health support, yet existing safety evaluations rely primarily on small, simulation-based test sets that have an unknown relationship to the linguistic distribution of real…
Demand for mental health support through AI chatbots is surging, though current systems present several limitations, like sycophancy or overvalidation, and reinforcement of maladaptive beliefs. A core obstacle to the creation of better…
Artificial intelligence has been introduced as a way to improve access to mental health support. However, most AI mental health chatbots rely on a limited range of disciplinary input, and fail to integrate expertise across the chatbot's…
Large language model-powered chatbots have transformed how people seek information, especially in high-stakes contexts like mental health. Despite their support capabilities, safe detection and response to crises such as suicidal ideation…
Objective: Domestic abuse cases have risen significantly over the last four years, in part due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the challenges for victims and survivors in accessing support. In this study, we investigate the role that chatbots…
Individuals are increasingly relying on large language model (LLM)-enabled conversational agents for emotional support. While prior research has examined privacy and security issues in chatbots specifically designed for mental health…
Large language models (LLMs) are increasingly applied in mental health support systems, where reliable recognition of high-risk states such as suicidal ideation and self-harm is safety-critical. However, existing evaluations primarily rely…
LLMs promise to overcome limitations of rule-based mental health chatbots through improved natural language capabilities, yet their ability to deliver evidence-based psychological interventions remains largely unverified because evaluations…
People experiencing severe distress increasingly use Large Language Model (LLM) chatbots as mental health support tools. Discussions on social media have described how engagements were lifesaving for some, but evidence suggests that…
The pervasive use of AI applications is increasingly influencing our everyday decisions. However, the ethical challenges associated with AI transcend conventional ethics and single-discipline approaches. In this paper, we propose…
Although artificial intelligence (AI) shows growing promise for mental health care, current approaches to evaluating AI tools in this domain remain fragmented and poorly aligned with clinical practice, social context, and first-hand user…
The emergence of large language models (LLMs) has unlocked boundless possibilities, along with significant challenges. In response, we developed a mental health support chatbot designed to augment professional healthcare, with a strong…
Conversational AI chatbots are transforming industries by streamlining customer service, automating transactions, and enhancing user engagement. However, evaluating these systems remains a challenge, particularly in financial services,…
The deployment and use of AI systems should be both safe and broadly ethically acceptable. The principles-based ethics assurance argument pattern is one proposal in the AI ethics landscape that seeks to support and achieve that aim. The…
Artificial intelligence chatbots have achieved unprecedented adoption, with millions now using these systems for emotional support and companionship in contexts of widespread social isolation and capacity-constrained mental health services.…