Camilo José Cela University has hosted the presentation of Artificial Intelligence and Mental Health: A Roadmap for Debate and Action, a document examining the opportunities and risks arising from the integration of artificial intelligence into everyday life, the workplace and mental healthcare.
Promoted by the Scientific Committee of the Global Future of Work Foundation, the roadmap proposes a framework for addressing this transformation through scientific knowledge, ethical reflection and the protection of people’s wellbeing. The project was coordinated by Javier Cantera, Director of CIPA Studium, a centre affiliated with UCJC.
Jaime Olmedo, Rector of Camilo José Cela University, opened the event by highlighting the need to accompany technological development with a profoundly human approach. “No vessel, however sophisticated, can do without a compass. And that compass must always point towards the individual: towards their dignity, freedom and wellbeing,” he said.
Olmedo also noted that artificial intelligence is transforming the way we work, learn and interact, and that it can deliver significant advances when used responsibly. Among these, he mentioned its ability to detect early warning signs, personalise treatments and make mental healthcare more accessible to those who need it most.
The presentation took the form of a round-table discussion featuring Javier Cantera, Director of CIPA Studium; Ramona García Maciá, psychiatrist and specialist in occupational psychology; and Antonio González, President of the Global Future of Work Foundation. The discussion explored the impact of AI from psychological, clinical and organisational perspectives, as well as the need to anticipate its consequences for people’s wellbeing.
Four areas for understanding the impact of AI
The document examines the relationship between artificial intelligence and mental health across four key areas: social, digital, workplace and clinical. In the social sphere, it addresses issues such as job insecurity, fears of constant surveillance, technological dependence and so-called algorithmic stress. In the digital sphere, it explores hyperconnectivity, rest, new forms of interaction, mental autonomy and the emergence of behaviours that may affect wellbeing.
The section devoted to the workplace pays particular attention to algorithmic bias, personal data protection and emerging psychosocial risk factors. In the clinical field, the roadmap considers the potential of AI to support early detection, consultation management, therapeutic training and personalised treatments, while ensuring that professionals retain ultimate responsibility and decision-making authority.
The document advocates a progressive model of adoption combining regulation, training, integration into existing processes and the enhancement of human capabilities. Transparency, human oversight and the assessment of psychosocial effects should be embedded in every technological implementation.
Technological humanism therefore emerges as the compass that should guide this process. Artificial intelligence can extend professional capabilities and free up time for higher-value tasks, but it cannot replace empathy, ethical judgement, attentive listening or human connection.
CIPA Studium: applied psychology for contemporary challenges
The presentation of the roadmap is directly connected to the creation of CIPA Studium, the Centre for Applied Psychology Research affiliated with UCJC. Its purpose is to apply scientific psychological knowledge to complex challenges and to develop intervention models that benefit society and organisations.
Digital humanism and mental health constitute one of its principal areas of work, alongside the psychology of economic decision-making, sleep and work, professional and mental longevity, and emerging forms of leadership.
Through research, partnerships with other organisations, professional gatherings and public engagement activities, CIPA Studium aims to foster an informed public conversation and apply psychological knowledge to the major human and professional challenges of our time.
