By Mathieu Geneau of Université Laval
The COVID-19 pandemic has severely affected Canadians’ mental health; improving access to mental health services is thus emerging as one of the main challenges today. The federal government has recognized the issue and created a new department namely the Department of Mental Health and Addictions. This is an opportunity for the government to make a significant investment in one of the most promising solutions to this accessibility problem: artificial intelligence (AI) tools. This paper “L’intelligence artificielle au service de la santé mentale_EN” recommends that the Department should prioritize the establishment of financial assistance programs for the development of AI in the field of mental health, in light of the difficulty of accessing specialized services in a context where the need for them is growing. In addition, policies should be developed to guide the creation of algorithms, their testing and implementation as well as their quality and security with respect to personal information.