New guidance sets out principles for understanding artificial intelligence in psychology
New guidance sets out principles for understanding artificial intelligence in psychology
Publish Date: 2026-04-22 11:10:00
Source Domain: www.bps.org.uk
New guidance published by the Global Psychology Alliance (GPA) provides an overview of critical knowledge and professional obligations for psychologists committed to responsible and effective integration of AI into mental health service delivery.
The guidance sets out 10 principles which are focused on recommendations around three areas: ethics; professional competence; and access, bias and inclusion.
Dr David Harley, co-chair of the BPS’s Cyberpsychology Section, welcomed the guidance, saying it “signals a really important step for psychologists to take greater responsibility in relation to their use of AI in research and therapeutic work.
“The guidance highlights the need for psychologists and technologists to work closely together to ensure that AI is a future benefit to society in this domain.
“Psychologists working in this field will need to develop a practical form of AI literacy which will allow them to apply ethical principles in this context.
“Issues such as maintaining transparency with service users and providing appropriate oversight, auditing and safeguarding for therapeutic uses of AI are now under the purview of psychologists working with AI. These guidelines are an essential first step that will inevitably be refined over time.”
The GPA guidance has been produced as an ‘introductory endeavour’ amid increased digital exposure, prompting more discussions about psychological wellbeing and raising new ethical challenges about the integration of AI into healthcare.
For example, new research last month, on which the BPS reported, revealed that chatbots powered by AI may encourage delusional thinking, especially in vulnerable people.
To ensure best practice in the use of AI in psychology, psychologists should ‘act in accordance with applicable laws, professional regulations, codes of ethics and established standards of good practice within their local contexts’, the guidance says.
It also states that it seeks to support, rather than…
