Companion AI’s Next Scorecard: From Conversation Time to Safety and Real-World Impact

Event: Impact Does Not Come Only from Mental Health Apps

An expert workshop presented by WHO in March 2026 noted that people are using generative tools not designed or tested for mental health purposes for emotional support. The discussion covered long-term effects, emotional dependence, cultural and linguistic adaptation, and crisis referral. This is an institutional summary of the workshop, not a set of product-approval rules already in effect in all countries.

Editorial Recommendation: Safety Metrics Need Denominators and Follow-Up

Media reporting cannot stop at “has safety filters.” We suggest asking: What share of users or sessions does the risk signal cover? How are false negatives and false positives verified? What is the average wait for transfer to a human? How are loss of contact or exits recorded? Do complaints have resolution outcomes? These are proposed interview fields; they do not mean any company has already disclosed these numbers.

“Not disclosed,” “not found this time,” and “did not occur” are three different states. Only a defined monitoring scope and method permits the number of observed events to be written as an incidence rate. A low event count also cannot automatically prove safety.

Business Judgment: Health Improvement and Stickiness May Not Align

Long usage may stem from convenience, or it may reflect distress or dependence; duration alone cannot distinguish them. We suggest placing measures such as users ending sessions voluntarily, connection to real-world support, user control over memory and deletion, and completed referrals alongside growth metrics. Media should not publish reproducible crisis-inducing prompts, nor use sensational self-harm details to attract clicks.

Editorial Desk Judgment: Possible Implications

• Product comparisons add safety-disclosure status rather than granting safety certification themselves.

• Include long-term effects and users’ right to exit in interview outlines.

What to Watch Next

• Whether there is independent monitoring and cross-cultural validation.

• Actual completion of referrals, not just pop-up help prompts.

Limitations and Boundaries of Use

• The safety checklist is an editorial recommendation, not a WHO certification standard.

• This article does not presume that any company that has not disclosed metrics has caused harm.

Original Source Marker

[who-2026]