Technology Track Focuses on Harnessing AI, Apps, EHR to Improve Practice of Psychiatry

There will be at least 34 sessions at the Annual Meeting that cover technology, including treating internet addiction; selecting scribes, apps, and avatars; and improving the provision of telepsychiatry and electronic health records. Nearly half of those presentations will address the interface of psychiatry and artificial intelligence (AI).

“Part of my life’s work has been to see that education on the use of technology in psychiatric practice is a mainstay at the Annual Meeting,” said John Luo, M.D. chair of the Annual Meeting Technology track and professor of psychiatry at the University of California, Irvine. “I first started presenting on technology more than two decades ago. It has taken a long time, but it’s great to see technology become such an integral part of the meeting.”

Some sessions that Luo was excited about include:

• Reimagining the Future of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry: Technology, AI, and Innovation in Mental Health Practice: Early research has shed light on how social media and technology use are influencing child and adolescent development, including the U.S. Surgeon General’s advisory warning about the harmful impact of social media on mental health in 2023. “Now that AI has become part of the social fabric, it remains to be seen how it will influence youth mental health,” Luo said. “I’m excited to hear this symposium, to learn how we can harness technology to advance mental health care, but also better understand ethical considerations and mentorship, or how we can train the next generation in the use of these tools.”


• The Future of Telepsychiatry: The COVID pandemic brought video conferencing into the mainstream and now it has become the predominant mode of care in behavioral health. “But has the pendulum swung a little too far?” Luo said. “I have patients I started seeing in the pandemic whom I’ve seen only on video; I’ve never actually seen them physically in my office.” The session will explore the pros of telepsychiatry, such as improved access, and the cons, such as insurance-based barriers that some patients still face. The session will also address the ways that the modality can detract from the therapeutic relationship, especially in psychotherapy.


• Debate: “Can You Hear Me Now?” AI Tools for 21st Psychiatry: Notetaking to Meaning-Making Burnout and Wellbeing and Patient Safety: This debate-style session will explore the rapidly expanding use of ambient AI scribes and chatbots in psychiatric sessions, which reduce documentation burden and improve clinician well-being. “But I think we forget to consider the impact on patients,” Luo said. “Aside from concerns about privacy and consent, are we giving up too much of what we do?” One side of the debate will provide data that patients do benefit, as AI scribes can improve clinician attention and potentially enhance measurement-based care. The opposing side will focus on ethical, clinical, and legal concerns, including documentation inaccuracies in high-stakes risk assessments, boundary confusion introduced by conversational chatbots, and the potential for AI systems to inadvertently reinforce suicidality, paranoia, or dependency.


• Tell Me About Your Use of Chatbots: A Clinician’s Guide to Integrating AI Use into the Patient Interview: “We routinely ask our patients about substance use, sleep, diet, and social support during intake interviews. But how do we ask about chatbot use, and how often patients are using them to provide emotional support?” Luo said. “The session will explore problematic use and how these tools can influence mental health, coping strategies, and even medical decision-making.”

• Secret Levels: Video Game Personas and Dual Virtual Lives: This session will explore how online video game personas function as unique facets of an individual’s psyche, Luo said. Attendees will have an opportunity to create their own gaming avatar and learn how gaming helps minoritized groups find community and acceptance, develop a sense of self, and combat feelings of boredom and social disconnect.


• Grow Your Practice with AI: Advanced Clinical Workflows, Governance, and Digital Growth: This half-day, paid course will show clinicians how to evaluate AI apps, whether for notetaking and documentation, intake interviewing and assessments, or diagnostic assistance. “How do you assess the quality of the AI, the security and privacy features?” Luo said. The course will also provide strategies for mitigating risk, ensuring legal compliance, integrating AI into clinical workflows and operations, and supporting the growth of the practice.

Other select sessions from the Technology track include:

• Recognizing and Responding to Behavioral Addictions: Modern Strategies for Gambling, Internet, Exercise, and Emerging Digital Addictions
• Bringing Rigor to the Use of AI in Psychiatry: Potential Pitfalls and a Path Forward
• Empowering Practice Through Telepsychiatry: Practical Logistics Across Psychiatric Subspecialties
• Privacy vs. Publicity in the Digital Age—Tales from Four Psychiatrists
• A Psychiatrist’s Guide to Digital Interventions and Augmented Intelligence for Mental Health

For dates, times, and locations of these and other sessions, check the APA Meetings App. ■