Can AI extend the reach of mental health care without losing the human touch?

How can AI expand access to mental health support while remaining grounded in human connection? During World Suicide Prevention Month, this micro1 Forum discussion explores how AI can expand access to mental health support while remaining grounded in human connection. Paola Rodríguez (MD, Eng, MSc, Director of Medical Research/SPL at micro1), Dylan Cahill (MD, Strategic AI Lead at micro1), and Dr. Milton Wainberg (MD, Psychiatry Professor at Columbia University), join Mark Esposito (PhD, Chief Economist at micro1) to explore how AI can help make support more accessible for people facing stigma or seeking help outside traditional hours, the responsibility of systems designed to listen and respond, and why changing the narrative around suicide starts with conversation. Here's how the conversation went: 0:06 - Mark Esposito introduces the forum and panelists 1:34 - Why the forum is about changing the narrative on suicide 2:45 - Dr. Milton Wainberg: asking about suicide kindly saves lives 4:28 - Dr. Paola Rodriguez: technology as a copilot, not a replacement 8:28 - Dr. Dylan Cahill: AI’s chance to intervene at scale 10:16 - The gap between what works and what reaches people 16:28 - How micro1 tests models for safety in sensitive scenarios 17:48 - How framing and manipulation get models to share harmful content 20:27 - Can AI be a force multiplier for clinicians? 23:09 - How AI changes mental health care and the system around it 26:14 - When a model should hand off to a human 32:40 - Culture, language and the digital divide 39:27 - Where models still fail 43:39 - Biggest strategic risks: miscalibrated trust and overregulation 46:40 - Advice for companies building AI for mental health 49:00 - Closing remarks