In a new STAT interview, Google clinical director Megan Jones Bell describes how the company is redesigning Gemini to better support people who come to AI chatbots during a mental health crisis—and why Google believes simply shutting conversations down “could do more harm than good.” Bell says Google is leaning into accountability for the mental health impacts of its AI products by making Gemini a safer, more helpful “bridge” to real-world support.

A new bipartisan proposal in Congress would create some of the clearest federal guardrails yet for kids using AI chatbots, reflecting rising concern about the impact of conversational AI on children’s safety and well-being. According to Axios, the newly introduced CHATBOT Act—sponsored by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii)—would require AI companies to offer “family accounts” for children under 13 that give parents more control over how minors interact with chatbot tools.

AI-powered mental health chatbots are rapidly expanding as “therapy in your pocket,” but a recent Washington Post report warns that the boom is outpacing safeguards. The article describes a crowded market of behavioral health AI tools that promise affordable, always-available support, even though many have limited clinical validation and inconsistent oversight.

Google has updated Gemini’s crisis-response experience so that when the chatbot detects language indicating possible suicide or self-harm risk, it now surfaces a redesigned “Help is available” module with a streamlined one-touch path to professional support (such as crisis hotlines or text lines). Google says the updated interface uses more empathetic language intended to encourage people to seek help, and once triggered, the option to reach out to professional resources stays clearly visible for the rest of the conversation.

New York lawmakers are advancing legislation that would restrict AI chatbots from providing medical (and legal) advice, reflecting growing concern that users may rely on chatbot responses in high-stakes situations. The bill would also target systems that mimic or impersonate licensed professionals, and it would require clearer transparency so users know they’re interacting with AI rather than a clinician.

A new national consumer survey highlighted in Business Insider Markets finds that Americans are broadly open to using AI in behavioral health only when it comes with transparency and safeguards. The report says 77% believe patients should always be informed when AI is involved in their care, and 76% say it’s important for providers to meet international AI certification standards (including ISO-aligned frameworks).

Nebraska Methodist Health System says it has realized more than $2 million in gross revenue after deploying AI-assisted claims and coding support designed to reduce revenue leakage and speed reimbursement. In a Healthcare IT News interview, CFO Jeff Francis describes the approach as “human-in-the-loop,” with AI acting as a consistent “second set of eyes” that flags potential documentation and coding issues and surfaces supporting evidence, while coders retain final decision-making authority.

In a Feb. 3, 2026 Forbes column, Lance Eliot describes growing pressure on policymakers to restrict how AI companies monetize mental-health-related chatbot conversations, noting that millions of users share highly personal details with LLMs and may not realize AI makers can profit from those chats or related insights.

Oregon lawmakers are proposing new regulations aimed at AI “companion” chatbots to better protect children and teens’ mental health as these tools become more widely used. The proposal would require companies to clearly disclose that users are interacting with software, not a human, and to add safeguards that can detect suicidal ideation or self-harm and interrupt the conversation to provide crisis and suicide-prevention resources.

In a January 13, 2026 Harvard Gazette feature, four Harvard experts in depression, anxiety, and trauma discuss whether AI chatbots could help narrow the mental health access gap, while acknowledging headline-grabbing risks and the need for stronger safeguards. They argue that chatbots are “tools” that may offer meaningful support for people who can’t readily access care, but that they must be monitored and improved iteratively, with more collaboration between industry and independent scientists.

Anthropic announced new health care and life sciences features for Claude that let users share access to health records and, in beta, data from Apple Health and Android Health Connect to better understand medical information and manage healthcare tasks. The launch comes just days after OpenAI introduced ChatGPT Health, highlighting a broader push by major AI companies into healthcare as scrutiny grows over whether chatbots can safely interpret medical information.

On January 7, 2026, Reuters reported that OpenAI launched a “ChatGPT Health” tab designed as a dedicated space for health-related use cases, including the ability for users to ask health and wellness questions, upload medical records, and connect data from wellness apps such as Apple Health and MyFitnessPal. OpenAI positioned the launch as an expansion of one of ChatGPT’s most common use cases, saying 230+ million people globally ask health and wellness questions on ChatGPT each week.