Dr Alireza Ahmadvand was watching the rapid uptake of AI scribes by his GP colleagues when one question kept nagging at him: what happens when they are used in mental health consultations?

The attraction was obvious. The consults can be long, complex and documentation-heavy, making them exactly the kind of encounters where an AI scribe could save doctors significant time.

But Dr Ahmadvand was also conscious that some of the most important information in a mental health assessment is not simply what a patient says.

Their tone of voice, speed of speech? And what about the unspoken part of the consultation, the agitation, pauses, eye contact; what about the meaning of silence? All of these help a clinician assess what is happening.