CityU teams up with leading institution to organize seminar on ethics and safety of AI-driven psychological products with aim of building safeguards
The Seminar on Ethics and Safety of AI-Driven Psychological Products and Hengqin Initiative Launch Ceremony, jointly organized by the Faculty of Health and Wellness of the City University of Macau (CityU) and the Key Laboratory of AI-Driven Psychology of the Wuxi Institute of Fudan University, was recently held at Serensia Woods in the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin. Scholars and experts from renowned universities such as Tsinghua University, Fudan University, and Shandong University, as well as representatives from leading enterprises in the industry, including iFlytek, Situ, Scietrain, Ling Xin Intelligence, Houde Mingxin, and Robogo, attended the seminar to discuss the development and regulation of AI-driven psychological products. During the seminar, the Hengqin Initiative on Ethics and Safety of AI-Driven Psychological Products was also adopted.
Sun Pei, executive associate dean of CityU’s Faculty of Health and Wellness, chaired the seminar and delivered a speech. Professor Sun stressed that in the development of AI-driven psychological products, special attention must be paid to protecting the rights and interests of vulnerable groups, especially the young and elderly. He pointed out that some current products indiscriminately apply technical models, which may pose potential risks to users’ privacy and behavioral habits. According to Professor Sun, the outcomes of the seminar will lay the groundwork for the future development of the industry, and the Faculty is planning to promote the formation of an industry alliance to work with more enterprises and organizations to implement ethical standards and ensure the responsible application of AI-driven psychological technologies.
The seminar saw the adoption of the Hengqin Initiative on Ethics and Safety of AI-Driven Psychological Products. This initiative sets out seven core principles, including strengthening ethical design in early-stage product development, improving safety testing mechanisms, enhancing monitoring during use, and establishing industry standards. At the seminar, experts and scholars held in-depth discussions on the ethics of AI-driven psychological products, data security, user privacy, and other issues. Peng Kaiping, a professor in the Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science at Tsinghua University, noted that applying AI to mental health requires clear legal accountability to avoid regulatory gaps. In his closing remarks, Jiang Binxiang, Dean of the Institute of Computational Psychology at Shandong University and Director of the Key Laboratory of AI-Driven Psychology of the Wuxi Institute of Fudan University, called for closer academia–industry cooperation to build an international industry alliance to address these challenges together.
As the main driving force behind this seminar, CityU’s Faculty of Health and Wellness will continue to play a bridging role in promoting collaboration between industry, academia, and research institutions, and in advancing the sustainable development of the AI-driven psychology industry. Furthermore, the AI-Driven Psychology Industry Alliance, spearheaded by the Faculty, is expected to be formally established in September this year, which will further propel the formulation and implementation of industry standards.
Source: Faculty of Health and Wellness
