Discussing recent research on AI in mental health care

The original title of this episode was “From Silicon Valley to the Vatican: The Expanding Debate on AI Ethics" which sounded like it was going to be about religion and AI, (which would’ve been interesting!), but it isn't. So I changed it is because having a title that actually reflects the content is important (to me!)

I liked the format of this episode; the hosts discuss several recent studies on AI in healthcare (mental health mostly), but what I found most interesting were the questions the conversation brought up, for exmaple, I wondered:

• If young people genuinely feel better after talking to an AI, does it matter that the empathy isn't real? After all, aren't psychologists trained to not be affected by the traumas of their patients/ taught how to emotionally distance themselves?

• If AI becomes capable of making morally "better" decisions than humans, is it still important that humans remain responsible?

This link gives you the podcast: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2850822

and for those of you who don’t enjoy podcasts, here is the transcript:

https://edhub.ama-assn.org/jn-learning/audio-player/19075524#edhub-transcript

Jeanne

PS: they say the research papers are in the show notes… they’re not, so I tracked down a few (sorry the list isn’t complete):

Generative Artificial Intelligence Applications Use Among US Youth (Maheux et al., JAMA Network Open, 2026), on AI adoption among children and adolescents. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2844596?utm

Use of Generative AI for Mental Health Advice Among US Adolescents and Young Adults (JAMA Network Open, 2025), on use of AI for mental health advice and perceived helpfulness. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2841067?utm

Alignment of Large Language Model Responses With Human Therapists in Motivational Interviewing (Teferra et al., JAMA Network Open, 2026), on comparing GPT-4 with motivational interviewing therapists. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2846839?utm