Submission to the Department of Health and Aged Care Consultation on Safe and Responsible AI in Healthcare

Submission to the Department of Health and Aged Care Consultation on Safe and Responsible AI in Healthcare

In our submission to the Department of Health and Aged Care’s Consultation on Safe and Responsible Artificial Intelligence in Health Care, the Australian Psychological Society (APS) acknowledged that the benefits and risks of AI in healthcare require targeted regulatory reforms.  The APS advocates for ethical and equitable AI regulation in health services.

• The APS calls for Government investment in research about the psychological impacts of AI use, particularly in young Australians.The APS reiterated its call for the Government to fund the APS to lead a psychologist-led project, as previously outlined in our Pre-Budget Submission 2024-25. The APS also restated the need for investment in development and delivery of AI-focused training and resources for psychologists and other health practitioners.

• AI regulatory frameworks must prevent systemic biases and ensure AI systems reflect Australia’s diverse populations. The benefits and value of AI, including improved healthcare access and outcomes, should be equitably distributed for all Australians and not be limited to those who can afford AI use. Regulations must safeguard privacy and autonomy while preventing exploitation of patient and provider data for profit by commercial AI providers.

• AI use in healthcare must be consistent with principles of choice and informed consent.This requires express patient consent in clinical settings. Autonomous AI systems should be prohibited from making critical mental health decisions without practitioner oversight. In addition, AI platforms, including digital mental health platforms which use AI, should not claim equivalence to human practitioners.

• The regulation of AI technologies should focus on AI platforms and providers rather than adding burdens to healthcare practitioners.

• The APS recommends the creation of a multidisciplinary advisory body for ongoing consultation on AI-related ethical, operational, and societal implications. It is important that psychologists and psychological scientists be represented on this body.

The APS emphasises the critical role of psychologists in understanding the psychological, social, and health-related impacts of AI and advocates for interdisciplinary collaboration to maximise AI’s positive contributions to healthcare.

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