Artificial Intelligence (AI) is poised to revolutionise the practice of psychology. By automating routine tasks like note-taking and record-keeping, AI can free up psychologists to focus on patient care. Additionally, AI-powered tools can assist in conducting assessments, analysing data, and generating comprehensive reports, leading to more efficient and accurate clinical practice. AHPRA has released updated guidance for Psychologists in the form of fact sheets supporting the new draft of Professional competencies for psychology due to come into effect on 1 December 2025. This is the second article following our coverage of the risks and benefits to practitioners and looks in detail at the recent AHPRA guidance.

• Competency 4.1 –  Has knowledge of the relative strengths and limitations of the different methods of assessment and modes of delivery relevant to practice across the lifespan and in different contexts, including cultural contexts.
• Competency 5.1 Has knowledge of the efficacy and effectiveness of a range of interventions and modes of delivery relevant to practice across the lifespan and in different contexts, including cultural contexts.

To a lessor extent, Competencies 2.1 – 2.10 – Practises ethically and professionally could also be taken as referring to proper use of technology tools as it addresses the legal and ethical use of digital health to practice safely and within the boundaries of professional competence. However, given how broad this is, there is no direct guidance to be drawn from it.

AHPRA Factsheets on Digital Competencies and AI

AHPRA has also released an associated Factsheet on 7 August 2024 that provides guidance as to how the above two competencies ought to be understood. It references AI stating:

What does digital health mean? Digital health is the use of digital, mobile and wireless technologies in health. It is the application of data and information technology to gather, store, retrieve and study to improve processes, service, delivery of client care and health outcomes. It includes (but is not limited to) the use of digital tools for record keeping, research, collecting and storing data, and practice management systems. It also includes any use of artificial intelligence (AI) in psychology practice.

and also:

Practitioners who identify learning needs in digital competence may wish to consider focusing learning activities in the following areas (as relevant to your scope of practice)… investigating the opportunities and challenges for using artificial intelligence (AI) in psychology practice.

This is clearly both a caution on the proper use of these tools and an acknowledgement that AI has significant potential to assist practitioners.

AHPRA Blog Posts on Digital Competencies and AI

Further guidance has quickly been forthcoming from AHPRA with a new web article: ‘Meeting your professional obligations when using Artificial Intelligence in healthcare‘. Additional case studies are provided by AHPRA here about the use of AI in healthcare generally which are instructive to allied health professionals.

There are a number of cautions coded into these articles:

• Practitioners need to be certain their use of these tools don’t breach their privacy obligations, namely that the software complies with Australian law and data storage laws;
• Practitioners need to ensure their clients have provided informed consent, particularly in circumstances where the conversations are being recorded and transcribed (which may absent consent attract legal liability);
• To the extent that a tool is diagnostic, it may need to be approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration and in any event practitioners should ensure that they apply independant professional judgment to any diagnoses or diagnostic outcomes generated;
• To the extent that a tool seeks to provide a summary, practitioners ought to ensure that use of medical terms and key facts are correct;
• The practitioner’ insurer is advised in respect of their use of AI, and any guidance provided is complied with (although it should be noted that such guidance does not yet appear to be forthcoming from insurers, who may be content to rely on the general practitioner obligations of due care and diligence);
• Generally, given AI’s propensity for hallucinations, any substantive drafting by AI ought to be closely reviewed before being issued or relied upon by a practitioner; and
• Practitioners ought to understand the tool they are using (which may speak more to the functional aspects of data storage and output rather than any technical insight).

The guidance is also strongly suggestive that practices ought to consider ‘Use of AI’ policies that responsibly guide the use of these tools through the organisation. This appears to be normative guidance which leaves organisations to adopt commonsense protocols.

Artificial Intelligence for Psychologists: The New Norm

The guidance from AHPRA is heartening as it is suggestive that the regulator seeks to support practitioners in their use of these emerging tools rather than unduly burden them. It is likely to signal to the broader cohort of practitioners (that may not identify themselves as early adopters) that a new era of practice augmentation is arriving. And, for the most part, its recommendations are sensible and proportionate.

In the next article in this series we will look at compliance with the Australian Privacy Principles and relevant data storage laws, including laws surrounding the recording of client conversations and considerations for informed consent.

Therapas provides a Template Client Agreement for Psychologists that specifically contemplates the necessary disclosures and consents for use of the most popular tools for Psychologists.