U.S. Department of Ethical & Responsible Artificial Intelligence
Updated: 5 days ago
The National Center for Emotional Wellness Calls for National Leadership to Protect Humanity
Creator & Principal Consultant, AI-Integrated Emotional Wellness™
Following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the United States recognized an urgent need to coordinate protection against evolving threats. Congress responded by passing the Homeland Security Act of 2002, establishing the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Today, we’re facing a different challenge: an unprecedented proliferation of technology. And with this rapid advancement has been an alarming increase in mental health problems. Anxiety has become the most common mental illness in the United States, and depression is now among the leading causes of illness and disability worldwide.
Of further concern is that a growing number of technology leaders, including Bill Gates, Elon Musk, Geoffrey Hinton, Sam Altman, Steve Wozniak, Eric Schmidt, and Jacob Coxan, have expressed very serious concerns about the potential dangers of artificial intelligence.
As a psychologist whose devoted my nearly 40-year career to helping people navigate crisis, trauma, and profound emotional challenges, I believe we must recognize what’s unfolding before us and respond with foresight—not fear.
The National Center for Emotional Wellness is calling upon government leaders to establish the U.S. Department of Ethical & Responsible Artificial Intelligence—a cabinet-level department dedicated to ensuring that, as artificial intelligence advances, humanity advances with it.
This department should coordinate national AI policy, establish safety standards, evaluate AI’s impact on humanity, protect the public from foreseeable harm, maintain human oversight, and ensure transparency and accountability—while advancing ethical and responsible innovation for the betterment of humanity.
This department must be multidisciplinary. Beyond technology executives, engineers, and computer scientists—educators, healthcare professionals, business and organizational leaders, authors, artists, journalists, and others must be involved. Their stories—their thoughts, feelings, and lived experiences—are essential to understanding and addressing the impact of AI on humanity.
Through AI-Integrated Emotional Wellness™, the National Center for Emotional Wellness is advancing the ethical and responsible integration of artificial intelligence with the irreplaceable need for authentic human presence. The Center is uniquely positioned to bring a human-centered psychological perspective to this proposed department.
Artificial intelligence provides immediate access to information and knowledge—including evidence-based techniques, strategies, and tools that promote emotional well-being. But AI can’t replace the depth, uniqueness, and complexity of human emotion—or the healing power of genuine human presence and connection.
Today, we have an opportunity to act before a crisis compels us to do so. This isn’t a call to resist artificial intelligence. It’s a call to lead it—with knowledge, foresight, and humanity.
While AI can empower humanity—it must never replace it.