The promise and risk of AI in psychiatry

Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly reshaping healthcare, offering new opportunities to improve access, support clinical decision-making and enhance patient care. At the same time, AI raises important questions about safety, bias, ethics, professional identity and its wider impact on human behaviour and society.

This event brings together leading clinicians, researchers and innovators to explore the opportunities and challenges that AI presents for mental healthcare. Through expert presentations and panel discussions, attendees will examine the foundations of AI, its current and emerging applications in healthcare, and the evidence supporting its use and how it should be evaluated in mental healthcare.

The programme will address critical issues including bias, equity and fairness in AI systems, the use of large language models in clinical practice, the impact of AI on intimacy, spirituality and human experience, and emerging concerns regarding AI-related mental health harms. Attendees will also explore how AI may influence clinical judgement, professional identity and the future of psychiatric practice.

A central theme throughout the day will be whether AI has the potential to democratise mental healthcare and reduce inequalities, or whether it risks widening existing disparities. By combining practical examples with critical reflection on ethical and societal implications, the conference aims to equip participants with the knowledge and confidence to lead the safe, responsible and equitable adoption of AI within mental health services.

This conference will be of interest to psychiatrists, mental health professionals, healthcare leaders, researchers and anyone seeking to understand the growing influence of AI on psychiatry and mental healthcare.

• Understand how AI influences clinical practice, human behaviour and society.
• Recognise how bias within AI systems may affect patient outcomes and healthcare inequalities.
• Explore ethical, philosophical and professional challenges arising from AI adoption.
• Understand emerging evidence regarding AI-associated changes in beliefs, cognition and psychopathology.
• Identify practical applications of AI currently being deployed within healthcare.
• Gain understanding of the principles of evaluating AI for mental health.
• Develop confidence in leading safe and responsible AI adoption within mental healthcare.

This event will be hosted online via our online platform, EventsAir. You will have the option to watch live, or on-demand later.

Registered participants will receive their link to watch the conference in their joining instructions. Joining instructions will be sent out a week before the conference is due to take place. You will also receive access to event recordings for twelve weeks post event ( Friday 19 February 2027), subject to speakers permissions.

All registered participants will also have access to this conference recording until Friday 19 February 2027 (12 weeks).

• Visit our EventsAir FAQs for attendees in advance of the event to familiarise yourself with the platform and to troubleshoot any problems you may have.
• We have also produced an Attendee EventsAir Guidance Booklet which covers all aspects of your journey as an attendee on the online platform. The guide will take you through what you can expect from the EventsAir platform (Joining a conference session, Networking with other attendees, How to view resources, How to watch at a later date, Technical queries)
• You could also watch our handy Attendee Explainer Video

We recommend that you log into the platform in advance of the event to ensure that you are able to access the platform. The recommended browser for EventsAir is Google Chrome, other browsers may not be compatible with the platform functionality.

When you join the event online you will be able to:

• view a video of the speaker alongside any slides
• ask your questions to the speakers and chat with other delegates via the discussion forum.

To successfully join the event online you will need:

• access to a reliable internet connection
• a PC, laptop, tablet or phone.

Ticket prices – you will be able to select your ticket type when you make your booking.

When you select the yellow booking button, you will be able to register an account if you are not already a member of the Royal College of Psychiatrists – you can then book your preferred ticket type.

Book online – pay using a debit card or credit card and receive instant confirmation and a receipt

Is your organisation paying on your behalf? – Use the online booking system to request a payment link – you can share this link with your organisation if they are paying on your behalf. 

• Event registrations are confirmed when payment is received in full.
• Joining instructions are sent approximately one week in advance.

Read our terms and conditions before making your booking, which covers:

• Event Cancellation Policy
• Privacy Policy
• Code of Conduct
• Parent and baby policy

The fee you pay relates to your RCPsych membership status – check your status.

The subsidised rate includes those on lower incomes paying a subsidised RCPsych membership rate (maternity or parental leave, working part-time, or taking a career break) and International RCPsych Members residing in band D and C countries. 

Medical Students and Foundation Year Doctors can apply for free RCPsych membership, which then gives you access to reduced conference registration fees, amongst other benefits

We welcome allied health professionals to the conference, which is at the non-member/allied health professionals ticket option:

• Art therapists
• Dietitians
• Dramatherapists
• Music therapists
• Occupational therapists
• Operating department practitioners
• Orthoptists
• Osteopaths
• Paramedics
• Physiotherapists
• Podiatrists
• Prosthetists and orthotists
• Radiographers
• Speech and language therapists