The World Health Organization (WHO) has urged global recognition of generative AI use as a public mental health concern.
WHO recommends coordinated action across government, health systems, and industry to address the mental health implications of AI. This comes after a January 2026 online workshop with over 30 international experts.
Key recommendations include:
- Impact assessments must include mental health considerations.
- AI tools for mental health should be co-developed with mental health experts and users.
- Tools must be culturally and linguistically tailored.
- Crisis referral frameworks and accountability systems are essential.
WHO emphasized that generative AI is not designed for mental health support, raising concerns about its growing use, especially among youth.
Dr. Sameer Pujari, WHO AI Lead, stressed the need for public-private collaboration to close the knowledge gap on AI’s mental health effects.
WHO is forming a Consortium of Collaborating Centres on AI for Health to guide responsible AI use in global health.
The pre-summit meeting took place March 17-19, 2026.