Advertising to the distressed: The commodification of mental health data in AI chatbots, Journal of Medical Ethics (Forum)

Gross, Nicole and van Kolfschooten, Hannah (2026) Advertising to the distressed: The commodification of mental health data in AI chatbots, Journal of Medical Ethics (Forum). BMJ.

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Abstract

Generative Artificial Intelligence (genAI) chatbots have become an important outlet for many people around the world who are experiencing mental health issues. Of its 800 million weekly users, around 10 percent use ChatGPT for emotional support while more than one million use the chatbot to talk about issues such as depression, psychosis and suicidal ideation. For many users, these conversations feel intimate, tailored and supportive, like talking to a good friend or therapist. Yet these interactions take place within commercial digital platforms whose business models rely on collecting, analysing and commodifying user data. As Big Tech companies explore the use of behavioural advertising in genAI systems, influenced by the global market for health data being worth an estimated $74.41 bn, profound ethical tensions arise between the commodification of user data and the protection of vulnerable individuals seeking mental health support.

Item Type:	Other
Additional Information:	All BMJ blog posts are posted under a CC-BY-NC licence
Subjects:	Q Science > QH Natural history > QH301 Biology > Methods of research. Technique. Experimental biology > Data processing. Bioinformatics > Artificial intelligence Q Science > Q Science (General) > Self-organizing systems. Conscious automata > Artificial intelligence H Social Sciences > HM Sociology > Information Science > Communication > Medical Informatics R Medicine > RA Public aspects of medicine > RA790 Mental Health
Divisions:	School of Business and Social Sciences > Staff Research and Publications
Depositing User:	Tamara Malone
Date Deposited:	28 Apr 2026 13:34
Last Modified:	28 Apr 2026 13:34
URI:	https://norma.ncirl.ie/id/eprint/9290

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