Mental health in the age of algorithms: Inside the summit shaping India’s mental health future

Inside the summit where policymakers and mental health advocates mapped India’s path to ethical and empathetic AI in mental health.

In an era where algorithms increasingly shape our lives, the intersection of mental health and artificial intelligence has never felt more urgent. As conversations around digital well-being rise globally, India stepped into the dialogue with the Global Summit on AI for Mental Health held in the capital on Saturday.

At the crossroads of tech and therapy, leaders debate how India can harness AI to help mental health.

Balvinder Kumar, IAS (Retd.) and founder of Mind Therapy

Balvinder Kumar, IAS (Retd.) and founder of Mind Therapy, set the tone early during his welcome address with a reflection on why such conversations can no longer wait. “Every day, billions of people are now sharing their deepest thoughts with machines… their fears, their secrets, their distressing thoughts. This creates a powerful question for all of us: will AI become a lifeline that helps us close the mental health gap, or a shortcut that deepens our loneliness and risk?” he said.

The summit drew policymakers, mental-health advocates, and business leaders, from Sunil Kumar Barnwal, IAS, to Ira Singhal, IAS, and more under one roof. The gathering explored how AI could bridge India’s vast treatment gaps while ensuring that empathy stays at the centre of innovation, under the theme ‘Mental Health in the Age of Machines.’

Sunil Kumar Barnwal, IAS.

The summit spotlighted India’s urgent mental-health landscape, where nearly one in seven citizens experiences a mental disorder, yet access to treatment remains scarce. Discussions centred around AI-driven tools, personalised mental-health assistance and digital interventions that could potentially relieve the country’s overburdened health systems.

From spotlighting models like BharatGPT to conversations around data privacy, the summit offered a look at a mental-health ecosystem where innovation and empathy can move in sync. As India steps into an AI-powered future, the summit served as an important landmark in conversations around how technology can care for us.