Young people's perceptions and recommendations for conversational generative artificial intelligence in youth mental health
Adam Poulsen, Ian B. Hickie, Carla Gorban, Zsofi de Haan, William Capon + 5 more
TLDR
This study explores young people's perceptions and recommendations for integrating conversational AI into youth mental health services, highlighting key design needs.
Key contributions
- Identified four key themes for genAI in youth mental health, including humanizing AI without dehumanizing care.
- Emphasized the critical need for transparency regarding AI's underlying mechanisms ('under the hood').
- Highlighted the importance of appropriate context, timing, and placement for genAI chatbot integration.
- Stressed the necessity of personalization and robust safety features for youth mental health chatbots.
Why it matters
This paper is crucial as it fills a gap in understanding young people's perspectives on genAI in mental health, an underexplored area. It offers actionable insights for the ethical design, development, and integration of AI chatbots into youth mental health services, ensuring user-centered approaches.
Original Abstract
Conversational generative artificial intelligence agents (or genAI chatbots) could benefit youth mental health, yet young people's perspectives remain underexplored. We examined the Mental health Intelligence Agent (Mia), a genAI chatbot originally designed for professionals in Australian youth services. Following co-design, 32 young people participated in online workshops exploring their perceptions of genAI chatbots in youth mental health and to develop recommendations for reconceptualising Mia for consumers and integrating it into services. Four themes were developed: (1) Humanising AI without dehumanising care, (2) I need to know what's under the hood, (3) Right tool, right place, right time?, and (4) Making it mine on safe ground. This study offers insights into young people's attitudes, needs, and requirements regarding genAI chatbots in youth mental health, with key implications for service integration. Additionally, by co-designing system requirements, this work informs the ethics, design, development, implementation, and governance of genAI chatbots in youth mental health contexts.
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