Building trust in artificial intelligence and new technologies in mental health

Abstract

In 2019, the Topol review was published on behalf of the secretary of state for health and social care in the UK, preparing the healthcare workforce to deliver the digital future.1 A multidisciplinary team of experts, including clinicians, researchers, ethicists, computer scientists, engineers and economists, reviewed the available data and projected into the future (ie, next 20 years) two key questions: what impact technological developments (including genomics, artificial intelligence (AI), digital medicine and robotics) will have on the roles and functions of National Health System clinical staff? How could this innovation (ie, biosensors, electronic patient record, smartphone apps, digital infrastructure and virtual reality) ensure safer, more productive, more effective and more personalised care for patients? It is now widely recognised that data science and information technologies enable understanding of the uniqueness of each individual and the ability to deliver healthcare on a far more timely, efficient and tailored basis.