The US mental health organization will advise on how AI products respond to suicidal ideation and psychosis, including when young people should be connected with trusted adults
The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) has joined Common Sense Media’s Youth AI Safety Institute to help develop standards for how AI products respond to young people experiencing mental health crises. Image credit: NAMI
The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) has joined Common Sense Media’s Youth AI Safety Institute as a standards steering partner, bringing mental health expertise and the experiences of families into the development of safety standards for AI products used by young people.
The partnership will focus on how AI systems should respond when young people experience severe mental health crises, including suicidal ideation and psychosis, and when those systems should facilitate contact with a trusted adult.
NAMI joins Crisis Text Line as a steering partner in the institute’s first standards program, which is addressing what it describes as “red-line” severe harms. The initial standards and their accompanying methodology are scheduled for publication in 2027.
Trusted adults and community support at the center of AI safety work
The institute is seeking guidance on how AI products should respond to young people in crisis while recognizing the wider support available beyond the technology itself.
NAMI will contribute the perspectives of people affected by mental illness, including young people and families, to help shape standards that account for family members, peers and community support.
Robbie Torney, Head of AI & Digital Assessments at the Youth AI Safety Institute, says the organization’s community experience will help inform how AI products connect young people with appropriate assistance:
“NAMI knows how to build connections and care in communities. We want their insight on how AI products can steer young people who need support toward real help.”
NAMI operates through more than 650 local affiliates and 49 state organizations across the United States, providing mental health education, support groups, advocacy and community programs.
Dr. Christine M. Crawford, NAMI’s Chief Medical Officer, says the consequences of an AI response can be significant when a young person is experiencing distress.
“When a young person turns to AI in a moment of distress, the response they get can have real consequences,” she says.
“Young people deserve tools that prioritize their safety and help connect them with people who can provide the right kind of mental health support and care. Young people and families with lived experience can help ensure these standards reflect the support people need in their most vulnerable moments.”
NAMI brings existing AI mental health benchmarking experience
The partnership adds to NAMI’s separate work examining how AI systems respond to mental health questions.
The organization is collaborating with Dr. John Torous and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center to develop independent benchmarks for AI tools, combining clinical evidence with lived experience to inform assessments of safety and accountability.
Its role in the Youth AI Safety Institute will concentrate on the standards being developed for young people, particularly how AI products handle severe mental health risks and determine when to facilitate human support.
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