[MHAIP]
AI is being adopted for mental health and emotional support faster than the evidence can keep up. People's safety hinges on regulation built on solid evidence, yet policy is being written while that evidence is still emerging. We close that gap: identify what's being enacted, analyze what works, convene communities to build policy around lived experience, and translate what we learn into evidence-based policy frameworks that keep people safe while using AI for mental health and emotional support.
What's at stake
A growing body of evidence documents AI-associated harms in people seeking mental health support, including emerging clinical reports of AI-related psychiatric presentations and crisis-detection failures linked to teen suicides. These tools have also shown real potential for mild-to-moderate symptoms but that potential can't be responsibly realized without the safeguards to manage the risk.
of US adolescents and young adults now use generative AI for mental health advice.
AI-related bills introduced across 45 states by March 2026, with mental health a consistent focus.
enacted state laws governing AI in mental health, often using incompatible approaches.
Sources: McBain et al., 2025 · Østergaard, 2023 · Garcia v. Character Technologies (Settled, 2026) · Heinz et al., 2025 · Li et al., 2023 · Tierney et al., 2024
Our work
The Mental Health AI Policy Project is an independent research and policy initiative working to ensure people using AI for mental health and emotional support have the safeguards they need to stay safe. We do this by identifying and analyzing emerging evidence on AI safety and regulation, convening communities using these tools, especially youth, to ground policy in lived experience, and translating our findings into policy recommendations that actually work.
Identify
We track the laws and bills governing AI in mental health and emotional support, mapping where safeguards exist and where they don't.
DeliverableA live 50-state tracker, with bill summaries and links to legislative language.
Analyze
We analyze emerging evidence on AI safety and regulation, comparing different regulatory approaches against what the evidence shows actually works.
DeliverableBriefs and comparative analyses that inform policy recommendations.
Convene
We convene communities using these tools, especially youth, to hear directly what they believe keeps them safe and ensure policy responds to real-world risks.
DeliverablePublished consultation summaries that inform policy recommendations.
Translate
We translate our research into policy recommendations that work in practice, protect consumers, clarify expectations for clinicians, and hold up under real-world use.
DeliverableBest-practice frameworks for regulating AI in mental health and emotional support.
THE ISSUE
Regulation is the main lever we have to keep people safe as AI becomes part of mental health and emotional support, but right now, that lever is inconsistent, incomplete, and moving faster than the evidence behind it. The choices being made now will determine whether people are protected for years to come. Three challenges stand in the way:
50-state tracker
Our 50-state tracker compiles every active bill and enacted law governing AI in mental health, with details on scope, requirements, enforcement, and date of action.
Open the trackerOur Commitments
The Mental Health AI Policy Project is independently governed. We publicly disclose our funders and publish our methodology and analyses.
Monthly updates on state legislation, federal policy, and emerging research at the intersection of AI and mental health.
We welcome conversations with funders, state policymakers, clinical organizations, and researchers working at this intersection.
info@mhaipolicy.org