Psychology AI Tools

Psychology-related AI tools may support journaling, mindfulness, education, symptom tracking, research, administration, or contact with a professional. General-purpose chatbots and wellness apps are not automatically qualified to diagnose a condition, provide therapy, or manage a crisis.

How to evaluate a psychology or wellness tool

• Identify whether the product provides general wellness content, a structured evidence-based intervention, clinician support, telehealth access, or a regulated digital therapeutic.
• Look for named clinical contributors, peer-reviewed evidence for the exact intervention and population, clear limitations, and monitoring after release.
• Check what happens when symptoms worsen, self-harm is mentioned, the system is uncertain, or a user needs a trained professional.
• Review conversation retention, human access, model training, deletion, advertising, data sale or sharing, biometric or sensor collection, and protections for minors.
• Test whether the tool encourages appropriate offline support instead of creating dependency, overstating empathy, or claiming professional authority.

When an app is not enough

The American Psychological Association warns that many consumer chatbots and wellness apps lack adequate evidence, expert input, safety protocols, oversight, or regulatory review. The US National Institute of Mental Health also notes limited regulation and limited evidence for many mental-health apps.

Do not rely on an AI tool alone for diagnosis, treatment changes, medication decisions, abuse, psychosis, self-harm, or another urgent situation. Contact a qualified professional or local emergency service. In the United States, call or text 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

APA health advisory · NIMH mental-health technology guide