Generative Artificial Intelligence for Exposure Therapy: Guidelines for Clinicians and Patients

The emergence of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) presents new opportunities for enhancing exposure therapy for anxiety- and trauma-related disorders. GenAI is not a replacement for clinical expertise but a powerful ancillary tool. This article offers practical guidance for clinicians and patients on how to use GenAI to develop and conduct personalized exposure exercises. To help orient clinicians to these tools, we provide an overview of ethical considerations and describe the fundamentals of how to use GenAI between and within sessions. We discuss how GenAI tools can assist in generating exposure stimuli, such as images, videos, and scripts, as well as conversational agents. We also provide guidance on how these tools can assist in brainstorming and organizing exposure hierarchies. Finally, we discuss how exposure therapy can continue to flourish using GenAI through clinician training, the exchange of GenAI stimuli and procedures, and clear messaging from leadership and organizations.