Vermont lawmakers are moving to draw a clear line between helpful administrative automation and AI acting as a mental health clinician. In a May 7 VTDigger report, the Vermont Senate advanced H.816, a bill designed to ensure that licensed mental health professionals — not AI chatbots — make diagnoses, treatment plans, and therapeutic decisions in the state. Supporters say the legislation responds to the rapid growth of online “wellness” chatbots that can blur into clinical territory, potentially offering diagnosis-like statements or treatment guidance without appropriate oversight.
As written, H.816 would prohibit AI from being used to make mental health diagnoses or treatment plans and would bar AI from offering therapeutic guidance. The bill treats this kind of AI-enabled therapeutic decision-making as unprofessional conduct and ties enforcement to Vermont’s Consumer Protection Act, giving the state attorney general authority to act.
At the same time, the proposal preserves room for practical use cases such as scheduling, billing, and transcription—tools that support care delivery without replacing clinical judgment. The bill also directs Vermont’s Office of Professional Regulation to deliver recommendations on regulating clinicians’ AI use by Jan. 15 and would take effect immediately if enacted