This Machine Kills 441. The Fight Over AI Use in Mental Healthcare (ft. Ciara Keegan, Ilana Marcucci-Morris)
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Jan 21, 2026 Ciara Keegan, a researcher with the National Union of Healthcare Workers, and Ilana Marcucci-Morris, a licensed clinical social worker at Kaiser, dive into the controversial role of AI in mental healthcare. They discuss Kaiser's push for AI integration, raising concerns over job losses and the effectiveness of automated care. Highlights include the risks of algorithmic triage, the importance of human empathy in therapy, and the ongoing struggle for patient-centered care amidst corporate interests. Their insights spotlight the urgent need for worker solidarity and patient advocacy.
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Factory Mental Health: Unified Protocol Example
- Ilana describes patients funneled into a single “virtual behavioral health” treatment plan called the unified protocol.
- She warns that algorithmic routing makes access a roll of the dice depending on time, site, and operator.
Assert Consent And Supervise AI Use
- Patients and providers currently can decline AI transcription; consent matters and should be asserted.
- Clinicians should retain supervisory control over AI outputs and only use tools that support care.
Union Contracts Split Over AI Language
- Northern California bargaining rejected SoCal's AI protections because Kaiser demanded flexibility to replace workers.
- Ilana recounts being displaced from triage work and fearing future replacement by AI chatbots.
