Mind launches inquiry into AI and mental health after Guardian investigation | AI (artificial intelligence)
Mind is launching a major probe into artificial intelligence and mental health after a Guardian investigation revealed how Google’s AI previews gave people “very dangerous” medical advice.
As part of a year-long commission, the mental health charity, which operates in England and Wales, will examine the risks and safeguards required as AI increasingly influences the lives of millions of people affected by mental health problems around the world.
The survey – the first of its kind in the world – will bring together the world’s leading doctors and mental health professionals, as well as people with lived experience, healthcare providers, policymakers and technology companies. Mind says it will aim to shape a safer digital mental health ecosystem, with strict regulation, standards and safeguards.
The launch comes after the Guardian revealed how false and misleading health information in Google’s AI previews risked harming people. AI-generated summaries are shown to 2 billion people every month and appear above traditional search results on the world’s most visited website.
After the report, Google removed AI previews for some, but not all, medical searches. Dr Sarah Hughes, chief executive of Mind, said “dangerously incorrect” mental health advice was still being provided to the public. In the worst case, false information could put lives at risk, she said.
Hughes said: “We believe AI has huge potential to improve the lives of people with mental health problems, expand access to support and strengthen public services. But this potential will only be realized if it is developed and deployed responsibly, with safeguards proportionate to the risks.
“The issues revealed by the Guardian report are one of the reasons why we are launching the Mind Commission on AI and mental health, to examine the risks, opportunities and safeguards needed as AI becomes more deeply integrated into everyday life.
“We want to ensure that innovation does not come at the expense of people’s wellbeing and that those of us who have experienced mental health problems are at the heart of shaping the future of digital support. »
Google said its AI Insights, which use generative AI to provide snapshots of essential information on a topic or issue, are “useful” and “reliable.”
But the Guardian found some AI previews provided inaccurate health information and put people at risk. The investigation revealed false and misleading medical advice on a range of topics, including cancer, liver disease and women’s health, as well as mental health issues.
Experts said some insights into AI for conditions such as psychosis and eating disorders offered “very dangerous advice” and were “incorrect, harmful or could cause people to avoid seeking help”.
Google is also downplaying safety warnings that its AI-generated medical advice may be wrong, the Guardian has found.
Hughes said vulnerable people were receiving “dangerously incorrect mental health advice”, including “advice that could prevent people from seeking treatment, reinforce stigma or discrimination and, in the worst cases, put lives at risk”.
She added: “People deserve safe, accurate, evidence-based information, not untested technology presented with a veneer of confidence. »
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The commission, which will operate for a year, will gather evidence on the intersection of AI and mental health, and provide an “open space” where the experience of people with mental health problems will be “seen, recorded and understood”.
Rosie Weatherley, head of information content at Mind, said that while searching for mental health information on Google “wasn’t perfect” before the AI insights, it generally worked well. She said: “Users had a good chance of clicking on a credible health website that answered their query and then went further – offering nuance, lived experience, case studies, quotes, social context and a path to support.
“AI insights have replaced this richness with a clinical-sounding summary that gives an illusion of certainty. They give the user more of one form of clarity (brevity and plain English), while giving them less of another form of clarity (the security of the source of the information and the degree of trust in it). It’s a very seductive exchange, but not a responsible one.”
A Google spokesperson said: “We invest significantly in the quality of AI insights, particularly on topics like health, and the vast majority provide accurate insights.
“For queries where our systems identify that a person may be in distress, we endeavor to display relevant local crisis hotlines. Without being able to review the examples referenced, we cannot comment on their accuracy.”
