Conversational AI should fill the white space in mental health care, not replace humans

Conversational AI (CAI) is being rapidly deployed in mental healthcare, with much of the focus on chatbots delivering therapy directly to patients. However, this focus overlooks broader opportunities to improve mental healthcare as a system. Rather than replacing clinicians in psychotherapy, CAI may have greater near-term value in parts of the care system where support is limited or absent. We highlight opportunities for CAI in prevention and screening, while on waitlists, between therapy sessions, and after treatment, and identify candidate mechanisms through which CAI could improve care at each stage.