The Intersection of Social Work and AI: Shaping the Future of Pediatric Mental Health

Families face significant barriers to pediatric mental health care due to marginalization and disparities. AI chatbots offer a promising, accessible solution, particularly for underserved areas. However, AI must be integrated as a complementary tool to enhance, not replace, human clinical interaction. AI can mitigate barriers related to social determinants of health, but its adoption requires ethical scrutiny regarding data security, transparency, and biases in training data. Social workers are essential, bringing expertise in program evaluation and clinical service delivery to ensure equitable and culturally responsive implementations. This article proposes an integrated practice-oriented model that positions AI as an associated, provider-driven tool rather than a human replacement. Social workers must take a pivotal role in shaping policies that promote justice, relationality, and systemic change within AI-augmented environments.