Unequal benefits, unequal harms: AI mental health chatbots, inequality and the risks of self-guided care (July 2026)

Summary

AI mental health self-help tools are growing fast but protection for the people using them isn't keeping pace.

This paper from David Gilbert and the Centre for Mental Health finds people’s use of AI to support mental health has outpaced the development of robust mechanisms to mitigate problems. Oversight is uncoordinated, and there are significant gaps in evidence, accountability and patient safety.

While these tools may improve access and affordability for some, the paper warns that the benefits won't be distributed evenly - and that the risks of generative AI mental health systems are likely to fall disproportionately on people who are already vulnerable. Large language models can also absorb and repeat patterns of structural discrimination, reinforcing stereotypes or invalidating certain identities.