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We're announcing a bold initiative today with the launch of VERA-MH (Validation of Ethical and Responsible AI in Mental Health)—the first open-source benchmark to evaluate how well AI handles emotionally difficult and sensitive situations.
Modeled after leading frameworks like GAIA (General AI Assistant benchmark), VERA-MH will set a new industry standard for clinical integrity, ethical responsibility, and operational safety in mental health AI. The benchmark will measure AI performance across multi-turn, emotionally complex interactions—where the cost of error can be life-altering.
Mental health is one of the most sensitive frontiers for artificial intelligence. From suicide risk to medication questions to cultural nuance, today’s AI models are not consistently safe, ethical, or clinically aligned. Without a shared standard, companies risk shipping harmful or untrustworthy experiences—and users risk real consequences.
Spring Health will act as a founding contributor, offering early vision and technical leadership, while committing to an independent, multi-stakeholder governance structure. The governance body will include clinicians, ethicists, researchers, and industry experts, selected through a transparent nomination process with strict conflict-of-interest policies. VERA-MH is a multi-year, community-driven effort, designed to produce meaningful technical, clinical, and operational standards—not just principles.
“AI in mental health must meet the highest bar for trust, safety, and human dignity,” says April Koh, CEO of Spring Health. “Early on, the lack of a benchmark was a barrier to developing AI on our own platform. That’s why we’re excited to share our early learnings and collaborate with the mental health and AI communities—because we believe VERA-MH can help the entire field rise to that challenge.”
The benchmark will be open-sourced and developed with input from clinicians, ethicists, AI researchers, and people with lived experience. Spring Health invites organizations across healthcare, AI, academia, and advocacy to join the founding consortium and help shape the future of mental health AI. Interested collaborators—whether academic, industry, or nonprofit—can contact VERAMH@springhealth.com to learn more.
