WHO urges tighter AI rules for mental health
A WHO‑backed expert group is calling for stronger governance of generative AI in mental-health applications, warning current tools risk harm to vulnerable users—researchers at Northeastern are also drafting universal AI-healthcare guidelines. The push frames mental-health AI as an area needing distinct safeguards, not just tech policy. (who.int) (news.northeastern.edu)
The World Health Organization posted its press release on March 20, 2026 under the title “Towards responsible AI for mental health and well‑being.” (who.int ) The press release followed an online workshop held on January 29, 2026 that was hosted by TU Delft’s Delft Digital Ethics Centre and convened more than 30 international experts in AI, mental health, ethics and policy. (tudelft.nl ) Workshop participants distilled a set of principal recommendations that include recognizing generative‑AI use as a public mental‑health concern and integrating mental‑health metrics into AI impact assessments and monitoring. (publicnow.com ) WHO officials quoted in the distributed statement—Dr Alain Labrique and Dr Kenneth Carswell—called for safety, accountability and human‑centred design as core requirements for systems that interact with emotionally vulnerable users. (miragenews.com ) Northeastern University researchers Annika Schoene and Cansu Canca announced a grant‑backed project to build a universal, operational guide for ethical AI in health care that assembles computer scientists, public‑health researchers, ethicists and frontline clinicians. (news.northeastern.edu ) The Northeastern team explicitly aims to convert ethical values into technical specifications and monitoring requirements so developers and clinicians share a common, actionable framework for deployment and oversight. (news.northeastern.edu ) TU Delft noted the January 29 workshop was an official pre‑summit event for the India AI Impact Summit 2026, which took place in New Delhi on February 19–20, 2026, linking the mental‑health guidance to ongoing international AI governance fora. (tudelft.nl )
