Beyond Engagement: A Multidimensional Framework to Evaluate the Safe Development of Agentic AI in Mental Health

  • Beatriz Garcia Santa Cruz*
  • , Carlos Vega
  • , Philip Santangelo
  • , Venkata Satagopam*
  • *Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

Abstract

The rapid rise of agentic AI in mental health exposes a misalignment between conversational fluency and user safety. We present a multidimensional framework spanning nine evaluation domains—from clinical validity to relational risk and regulatory compliance—designed to assess agentic systems beyond surface metrics. Applying it to eight real-world tools reveals that the most popular agents often lack basic safeguards, while clinically validated solutions remain underutilized. These findings highlight the need for structured oversight and public awareness. Our framework offers a foundation for safer deployment, informed regulation, and design practices grounded in mental health ethics.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationAI for Clinical Applications - 1st International Workshops, Agentic AI 2025, CREATE 2025, and Clinical MLLMs 2025, Held in Conjunction with MICCAI 2025, Proceedings
EditorsJianing Qiu, Jinlin Wu, Curtis Langlotz, Baoru Huang, Zhen Lei, Honghan Wu, Hongbin Liu, Weidi Xie
PublisherSpringer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH
Pages74-84
Number of pages11
ISBN (Print)9783032060037
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 22 Sept 2025
Event1st International Workshop on Agentic AI for Medicine, Agentic AI 2025, 1st International Workshop on Clinical-Driven Robotics and Embodied AI Technology, CREATE 2025, and 1st International Workshop on Multimodal Large Language Models in Clinical Practice, CMLLMs 2025, Held in Conjunction with the 28th International Conference on Medical Image Computing and Computer Assisted Intervention, MICCAI 2025 - Daejeon, Korea, Republic of
Duration: 23 Sept 202527 Sept 2025

Publication series

NameLecture Notes in Computer Science
Volume16147 LNCS
ISSN (Print)0302-9743
ISSN (Electronic)1611-3349

Conference

Conference1st International Workshop on Agentic AI for Medicine, Agentic AI 2025, 1st International Workshop on Clinical-Driven Robotics and Embodied AI Technology, CREATE 2025, and 1st International Workshop on Multimodal Large Language Models in Clinical Practice, CMLLMs 2025, Held in Conjunction with the 28th International Conference on Medical Image Computing and Computer Assisted Intervention, MICCAI 2025
Country/TerritoryKorea, Republic of
CityDaejeon
Period23/09/2527/09/25

Keywords

  • Agentic AI
  • Autonomy boundaries
  • Conversational agents
  • Human-centred AI
  • Human-computer interaction
  • Trustworthy AI

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