This interdisciplinary summer academy aims to explore potentials and challenges of generative artificial intelligence in mental health interventions. Generative AI enable the generation of linguistic interactions and new, artificial high-quality images, videos and other contents that are indistinguishable from reality, which is often referred to as hyperrealism. On one hand, this has prompted many complex ethical and societal issues like targeting people without their consent, on the other hand these techniques offer great potential for therapeutic interventions. Imagine for example a realistic and forgivingly conversation with a person who died before resolving a disagreement or with your child self. As generative AI continues to advance and its integration with other technologies becomes easier, its potential to support mental health applications might grow.
Participants will engage with expert lectures from computer science, human computer interaction, psychology, medicine and ethics around this fascinating and fast-developing topic. Furthermore, they will be able to experience, explore and shape prototypes of current GenAI-based interventions in hands-on and co-design sessions. Key questions addressed during the course include: How can GenAI technologies be effectively integrated into existing mental health practices? Where are their limits? How can we define ethical standards? And at large speculate about how these technologies might redefine our humanity.
Arbeitssprache: English
Leitung:
Dr. Bigna Lenggenhager, experimental psychopathology and psychotherapy, University of Zurich, certified psychotherapist
Dr. Marte Roel Lesur, cognitive science, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid
Gastreferierende:
Paulina Zybinska, Interaction Design (ZHdK Zurich, confirmed)
Manuel Hendry (ETHZ, provisionally confirmed)
Oliver Kannape (Virtual Medicine Center, Geneva University Hospital, provisionally confirmed)
Kris Pilcher (Spatial Sound Lab, MIT, provisionally confirmed)
Koordination: Serina Heinen (Schweizerische Studienstiftung)
Administration: Michelle Hug (Schweizerische Studienstiftung)
Zielpublikum: Interessierte Studierende aller Fächer
Anmeldeschluss: Mittwoch, 1. April 2026
