Advertising to the distressed: The commodification of mental health data in AI chatbots

Generative Artificial Intelligence (genAI) chatbots have become an important outlet for many people around the world who are experiencing mental health issues. Of its 800 million weekly users, around 10 percent use ChatGPT for emotional support while more than one million use the chatbot to talk about issues such as depression, psychosis and suicidal ideation. For many users, these conversations feel intimate, tailored and supportive, like talking to a good friend or therapist. Yet these interactions take place within commercial digital platforms whose business models rely on collecting, analysing and commodifying user data. As Big Tech companies explore the use of behavioural advertising in genAI systems, influenced by the global market for health data being worth an estimated $74.41 bn, profound ethical tensions arise between the commodification of user data and the protection of vulnerable individuals seeking mental health support. On one hand, the World Health Organization states that mental health is a fundamental human right, which means that everyone has the right to available, accessible, acceptable, and good-quality mental healthcare. As more than 1 billion people live with mental health issues and many do not receive adequate care, more and more turn to genAI chatbots, which are often free, accessible and highly interactive. As AI chatbots are becoming quasi-therapeutic spaces, they exert an influence over the right to mental health. However, unlike traditional mental healthcare contexts where confidentiality and professional duties restrict the use of patient information, AI chatbots operate within a commercial ecosystem that is designed to maximise engagement and monetise user attention. This means that users pay a high yet often invisible price for their mental health. The commodification of mental health data works as follows: tech companies collect and analyse any information that appear in prompts, chat logs and other user interactions. While some chatbots, such as Grok, claim that “we do not sell your personal information or use it for marketing”, their privacy policies clearly show that aggregated and de-identified data is being ‘shared’ with affiliates and third parties, including advertisers and other business partners (Table 1). Grok started to run ads in August 2025 and ChatGPT has been trialling ads since February 2026.