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Experts urge safeguards for AI chatbots used for mental‑health support, especially for youth
Summary
The American Psychological Association and other witnesses told the House subcommittee that unregulated chatbots can produce harmful responses, calling for age‑appropriate safeguards, independent testing and a human‑in‑the‑loop requirement for clinical uses.
Witnesses and members repeatedly raised alarms about direct‑to‑consumer chatbots marketed for mental‑health support and their effects on adolescents and vulnerable adults.
Dr. Vail Wright, senior director for health care innovation at the American Psychological Association, told the committee that chatbots can “amplify existing health inequities” and that systems trained on inappropriate proxies have already harmed patients. Wright…
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