At the 76th session of the WHO Regional Committee for Europe (RC76), held in Copenhagen on 27–29 October 2026, the World Health Organization presented its Roadmap for Action on Artificial Intelligence in Health in the WHO European Region 2026–2033.
In a joint written statement with EuroHealthNet, the European Federation of Allergy and Airways Diseases Patients’ Associations (EFA) and the European Public Health Association (EUPHA), EFPA welcomed the roadmap and called for psychological and behavioural science to be integrated across all four of its strategic areas.
AI has significant potential to support health and well-being, strengthen prevention and improve access to services. However, its growing use in health also raises questions concerning safety, equity, autonomy, privacy, trust and the quality of human care.
The joint statement emphasises that psychological expertise is essential to understanding how AI affects psychological well-being, how AI systems function as cognitive systems, and how psychological and behavioural science can contribute to effective AI governance.
The signatories identify six priorities for action: involving psychologists and people with lived experience in developing regulation; embedding psychological science in people-centred technology development; promoting transparency, personal control and data protection; improving digital literacy and accessibility; addressing digital environments that may undermine well-being or amplify misinformation; and ensuring that technology enhances rather than replaces human capacities and personal interaction.
The statement also stresses that AI development and deployment should support health promotion and prevention without widening existing inequalities, with potential benefits and harms assessed across population groups.
Through this contribution to WHO’s work, EFPA and its co-signatories highlight the importance of psychological science in shaping AI policies and technologies that are responsible, people-centred and equitable.
Read more:
- WHO Roadmap for Action on Artificial Intelligence in Health in the WHO European Region 2026–2033.
- Read EFPA’s joint written statement on AI.
- Read statements from EFPA and other non-State actors and partners at RC76.
