JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Artificial intelligence (AI) has been increasingly recognised as a potential solution to address mental health service challenges by automating tasks and providing new forms of support.

Objective:

The study is the first in a series which aims to estimate the current rates of AI technology use as well as perceived benefits, harms, and risks experienced by community members (CMs) and mental health professionals (MHPs).

Methods:

The study involved two web-based surveys conducted in Australia. The surveys collected data on demographics, technology comfort, attitudes towards AI, specific AI use cases, and experiences of benefits and harms from AI use. Descriptive statistics were calculated, and thematic analysis of open-ended responses were conducted.

Results:

The final sample consisted of 107 CMs and 86 MHP. General attitudes towards AI varied, with CMs reporting neutral and MHPs reporting more positive attitudes. Regarding AI usage, 27.8% of CMs used AI, primarily for quick support (60%) and as a personal therapist (46.7%). Among MHPs, 43% utilised AI; mostly for research (64.9%) and report writing (54.1%). While the majority found AI to be generally beneficial (73% of CMs and 92% of MHPs), specific harms and concerns were experienced by 46.7% of CMs and 51.4% of MHPs. There was an equal mix of positive and negative sentiment toward the future of AI in mental healthcare in open feedback.

Conclusions:

Commercial AI tools like ChatGPT are increasingly being used by CMs and MHPs. Respondents believe AI will offer future advantages for mental health care in terms of accessibility, cost reduction, personalisation, and work efficiency. However, they were equally concerned about reducing human connection, ethics, privacy and regulation, medical errors, potential for misuse, and data security. Despite the immense potential, integration into mental health systems must be approached with caution, addressing legal and ethical concerns while developing safeguards to mitigate potential harms. Future surveys are planned to track use and acceptability of AI and associated issues over time.