Google adds mental health tools to Gemini chatbot

In a blog post, Megan Jones Bell, clinical director of consumer and mental health, and Laurie Richardson, VP of Trust and Safety, at Google, said in part, “Mental health is one of the most significant public health challenges today, impacting over one billion people around the world. For many years, Google has been committed to helping people find high-quality information and crisis support in the moments they need it most. Our work on mental health has always been rooted in research and clinical best practices. We realize that AI tools can pose new challenges, but as they improve and more people use them as part of their daily lives, we believe that responsible AI can play a positive role for people’s mental well-being…We’re updating Gemini to streamline the path to support for those who need it. When a conversation might signal a user may need information about mental health Gemini will surface a redesigned ‘Help is available’ module – developed with clinical experts – to provide more effective and immediate connections to care. When Gemini recognizes a conversation that indicates a potential crisis related to suicide or self-harm, we’re introducing a new, simplified ‘one-touch’ interface that will provide an immediate connection to crisis hotline resources, enabling a user to chat, call, text, or visit the crisis hotline website. Within this new interface, we design responses to encourage people to seek help. Once the interface is activated, the option to reach out for professional help will remain clearly available throughout the remainder of the conversation…Google.org is announcing $30M in funding globally over the next three years to help global hotlines. This funding will help effectively scale their capacity to provide immediate and safe support for people in crisis. We are expanding our partnership with ReflexAI to help social sector organizations scale their mental health support services. This initiative includes $4M in direct funding and the integration of Gemini into ReflexAI’s training suite. Additionally, Google.org Fellows will provide pro bono technical expertise to help evolve Prepare, a customizable platform that uses realistic, AI-powered simulations to train staff and volunteers for critical conversations.”