Written Answer · 2026-03-04 · Parliament 15
Recorded Incidences of AI-Induced Psychosis in Past Three Years and Measures to Address AI-Related Mental Health Issues
Workers' Party MP He Ting Ru filed a written question to the Coordinating Minister for Social Policies and Minister for Health: is the Ministry aware of increasing recorded incidences of AI-induced psychosis; if so, how many cases were recorded in each of the past three years; and how is the Ministry working with relevant partners to better study and tackle the issue. Minister for Health Ong Ye Kung replied that there are international reports of psychological disturbances potentially related to intensive AI use, but this is not an established clinical diagnosis. Other than a few anecdotal cases, no clear upward trend has been observed locally — though the Ministry is monitoring the matter closely because the potential health risk posed by AI and digital media is of real concern. The exchange puts AI-related mental-health risk on the parliamentary record for the first time: the opposition presses the Government to recognise and quantify an emerging risk, while the Government responds cautiously — "not a clinical diagnosis, no clear local trend" — without dismissing the risk or ruling out continued monitoring.
Key Points
- • "AI-induced psychosis" is not yet an established clinical diagnosis
- • Apart from a few anecdotal cases, no clear upward trend has been seen locally
- • MOH treats the potential health risk of AI and digital media as a "real concern" and is monitoring closely
MOH takes a cautious watch-and-monitor stance on "AI-induced psychosis": it does not recognise it as an established clinical diagnosis and stresses there is no clear local upward trend, while acknowledging that the mental-health risks of AI and digital media are real and will be monitored closely.
Workers' Party MP He Ting Ru presses the Government to recognise and quantify AI-related mental-health risk, asking it to disclose case numbers over the past three years and to set out its cross-partner research and response mechanisms.
Singapore's health authorities have not yet folded "AI-induced psychosis" into formal statistics or a diagnostic framework, taking a "monitor first, regulate later" posture that frames AI mental-health risk as an emerging issue to watch rather than an established public-health problem.
"There are international reports about psychological disturbances potentially related to intensive AI use, but this is not an established clinical diagnosis ... we are monitoring this closely because the potential health risk posed by AI and digital media is of real concern."
Participants (2)
Original Text (English)
SPRS Hansard · Fetched: 2026-06-20
7 Ms He Ting Ru asked the Coordinating Minister for Social Policies and Minister for Health (a) whether the Ministry is aware of increasing recorded incidences of artificial intelligence-induced psychosis; (b) if so, what are the number of cases in each of the past three years; and (c) how is the Ministry working with relevant partners to better study and tackle this issue.
Mr Ong Ye Kung: There are international reports about psychological disturbances potentially related to intensive artificial intelligence (AI) use, but this is not an established clinical diagnosis. Other than a few anecdotal cases, no clear trends that these cases are on the rise have been observed locally, but we are monitoring this closely because the potential health risk posed by AI and digital media is of real concern.