Key findings:

  • 26% of Americans are familiar with AI-powered health tools.
  • 11% are open to using AI for mental health.
  • 8% trust AI in this space, while 40% don’t trust it at all.
  • Major concerns: lack of human nuance (53%), harmful advice (50%), and data privacy (49%).
  • Only 4% have actually used an AI mental health tool.

A new YouGov Surveys: Serviced poll among U.S. adults finds most consumers remain reluctant to use them for mental health. The findings suggest that for brands and health providers, trust, safety, and the human element remain the central challenges.

When asked, 26% of Americans say they are familiar with AI-powered health and wellness tools, while 51% say they are unfamiliar. Another 18% describe themselves as neutral. We also asked about openness to using AI in mental health specifically. Some 11% of adults say they are open to using AI-powered tools for this purpose, compared to 49% who say they are reluctant.

Trust presents another hurdle. Eight percent of Americans say they trust AI tools to provide accurate and helpful recommendations for mental health or wellness. By comparison, 53% say they do not trust them.

What are the risks or concerns with using AI-powered mental health tools? Half of Americans (53%) highlight the lack of human understanding or emotional nuance as a key issue, followed closely by fears of inaccurate or harmful advice (50%) and privacy or data security concerns (49%). Four in ten (42%) worry about a lack of empathy or emotional intelligence in AI-powered tools, while more than a third (35%) say outputs may be too generic or impersonal. Only 8% say they see no major risks at all.

Actual usage remains limited. Just 4% of Americans report ever using AI-powered tools for mental health or emotional well-being, compared with 92% who have not.

Methodology: YouGov Surveys: Serviced provides quick survey results from nationally representative or targeted audiences in multiple markets. This study was conducted online in August 2025, with a nationally representative sample of 1,502 adults (aged 18+ years) in the US, using a questionnaire designed by YouGov. Data figures have been weighted by age, race, gender, education, and region to be representative of all adults in the US (18 years or older), and reflect the latest population estimates from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey.