Partnering with the American Psychological Association for Youth Mental Health and AI

OpenAI is partnering with the American Psychological Association (APA) to establish psychological evidence and safety standards regarding youth mental health and AI use. The APA will review elements necessary for the responsible design of AI and youth protection, leveraging its expertise in developmental science and clinical practice.

Earlier this year, both parties conducted discussions involving mental health organizations, researchers, clinicians, educators, and youth representatives. Going forward, they will focus their collaboration on the following areas:

• How AI supports youth in crisis situations
• AI design and utilization tailored to developmental stages
• AI usage guidance for parents, guardians, and clinicians
• Identifying AI usage issues and support gaps in schools, therapy, and homes

As an initial task, they will develop practical family-oriented resources to help parents and guardians guide youth AI usage. These resources are expected to include content that supports healthy usage, recognizes situations requiring adult intervention, and fosters an understanding that AI is a tool that does not replace people or care.

Additionally, they will prepare materials for clinicians and school psychologists addressing healthy AI use, recognizing excessive dependence, and intervening in harmful usage patterns. The plan is to reflect the real-world experiences of youth, families, and experts to identify areas where AI can be responsibly utilized for education, information access, and connecting to real-world support.

OpenAI stated that it is collaborating with over 260 mental health professionals to improve ChatGPT's responses in sensitive situations, enhancing features that recognize distress or crisis signals, respond empathetically, and guide users to real-world support systems.