Matthew Hill, Director of Technology Innovation, Rethink Mental Illness

Matthew Hill, Director of Technology Innovation, Rethink Mental Illness

 People First: Shaping the Role of Artificial Intelligence as an ally in the Future of Therapy

In an era of rising mental health need and stretched services, artificial intelligence (AI) is quietly entering the therapeutic space - through admin automation, digital mental health tools, clinical triage systems, and more. For many therapists and clinicians, it can feel like something distant, technical, or not relevant to the core of relational work. But AI is not on the horizon - it’s already here.

This session explores a people-first approach to AI adoption in clinical and therapeutic settings: one that enhances human connection, strengthens the therapeutic alliance, and relieves pressure - without replacing the empathy, intuition, and relational depth at the heart of therapeutic care. We’ll examine both the promise and the pitfalls of AI in mental health: the risk of depersonalised care, ethical grey areas, and systemic biases, but also the genuine potential to improve access, increase quality, and support a workforce under strain.

Most crucially, this talk is an invitation: to engage with AI not as passive recipients of change, but as active shapers of it. If therapists and clinicians don’t step into this space, others will define it for them. Together, we can help ensure that AI in mental health is guided by care, not just code.

Meet Matthew Hill

Matt Hill is a technology leader with a deep commitment to people-first approaches in care and support services. Though not a clinician, Matt has spent over a decade working in mission-driven charities focused on mental health, homelessness, and social exclusion. He began his career in a small, grassroots mental health organisation and has since held roles across the sector, bringing a passion for ethical, human-centred technology to some of the UK’s most pressing social challenges.

He is currently Director of Technology at Rethink Mental Illness and Mental Health UK, two of the country’s leading mental health charities. In this role, he champions the responsible use of artificial intelligence to support staff, improve care quality, and ultimately create more space for the relationships that matter most.

Matt also brings a personal connection to this work, with lived experience of being affected by mental ill health and serious mental illness within his close family. It’s this personal investment that drives his belief in technology as a tool to improve quality, and to ultimately enhance - not replace - human connection in care.