Health ministry issues guidelines for safe use of generative AI

The health ministry on Thursday published guidelines for the safe use of generative AI for mental health purposes, issued jointly with the Korean Neuropsychiatric Association to mark this year's Mental Health Day on Oct. 10.

The guidelines respond to how widely such tools are already being used for emotional support. In a survey of 1,019 people aged 15 to 79 who had used generative AI in the previous month, conducted by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs from Aug. 25 to Sept. 4, 68.8 percent said they used generative AI for emotional purposes such as everyday conversation, emotional connection or mental health counselling. Among teenagers aged 15 to 18, that share was higher at 69.2 percent, and more than half of them, 51.7 percent, described themselves as dependent on AI, the highest rate of any age group in the survey.

"Generative AI can be used as a new means of obtaining information and emotional support, but kind and confident answers do not always guarantee accuracy or safety," said Lee Sun-young, the ministry's director of mental health policy. "Starting with these guidelines, the government will continue to strengthen mental health policies for the AI transition, including expanding user education."

Public demand for a government role was strong. In the same survey, 86.9 percent of respondents said the government needs to play a role in how generative AI is used, and the most urgent task they named was establishing AI mental health guidelines and overhauling laws and systems, cited by 68.7 percent.

The guidelines come in two versions: one for all users, built around three core messages and 21 recommendations, and one for children, adolescents and their guardians, with seven recommendations for young people and seven for parents. They were drawn up with advice from experts in fields including media and engineering, and direct users in a mental health crisis to seek help from people close to them and from professional institutions, listing the suicide prevention hotline at 109 and the mental health crisis counselling line at 1577-0199.

The ministry said the guidelines follow through on plans set out in the third Basic Plan for Mental Health Welfare 2026-2030 and in the government-wide measures to prevent suicide among teenagers. It plans education programmes to spread them in schools and clinical settings, and in 2027 will produce tailored guidelines for high-risk groups, including people with severe mental illness.

The guidelines were presented at a ceremony at the Peace and Park Convention in Yongsan, Seoul, on Thursday afternoon, where 124 people received medals and commendations. A mental health policy forum and a presentation on the guidelines by Cho Chul-hyun, a professor at Korea University College of Medicine, were held alongside the ceremony.