Helping workers reach the target of addressing youth substance use: Issues and Opportunities for using AI

Dr Elissa Weitzman will overview the needs and concerns related to addressing substance use and addiction among youth, providing a brief overview of the epidemiology of youth substance use and summarizing opportunities for incorporating AI into the ecosystem of youth-focused substance use prevention and treatment activities. 

She will discuss need for technological, clinical, and system innovation around using AI to address substance use among youth, and need for balancing innovation with quality and safety guardrails to ensure that digital and computational approaches support caring clinical relationships, and minimize risks for exacerbating mental and behavioural health crises and disparities.