What Is in There for Artificial Intelligence to Support Mental Health Care for Persons with Serious Mental Illness? Opportunities and Challenges.

Artificial intelligence (AI) holds potential to support persons with serious mental illness, but evidence remains limited. To explore opportunities and challenges there, we conducted qualitative interviews with multiple Norwegian mental health stakeholders. Data was analyzed using thematic analysis and sentiment analysis. Twenty-two informants shared their opinions, with half expressing moderately negative sentiments. Findings suggest AI can optimize mental health service delivery and encourage a flexible approach to recovery. However, AI's ability to provide emotional support may inadvertently worsen isolation, highlighting the need for a more holistic approach to human oversight and personal adaptation. Enhancing AI literacy and gathering more evidence from both persons and service providers is essential for future development.