Is Your Therapist Using AI to Track Your Sessions? What You Need to Know

A recent investigation by the Los Angeles Times (published June 22, 2026) revealed that some mental health platforms are using artificial intelligence to analyze therapy sessions—often without clear patient awareness or explicit consent. For anyone using online therapy or mental health apps, this raises serious privacy questions. Here’s what we know and how you can protect your session data.

What Happened

The Los Angeles Times investigation looked into several unnamed mental health platforms and found that they deploy AI tools to monitor and analyze video or audio sessions. These tools can transcribe conversations, detect emotional tone, flag specific words or phrases, and even generate summaries for clinicians. The problem is that patients are rarely told about this tracking in plain language, and the consent process often buries the details in dense terms of service.

The report did not name specific companies, so it’s unclear how widespread the practice is. But it signals a broader trend in digital health: AI is being added to existing tools with less transparency than many patients expect.

Why It Matters

Therapy sessions contain some of the most sensitive personal information you can share—details about your mental health, relationships, trauma, and daily struggles. When AI processes that data, several risks emerge:

  • Who else can access it? Even if the AI is used only for clinical notes, the raw data may be stored, shared with third-party vendors, or used to train future models. Patients have limited control over downstream use.
  • Legal gaps. HIPAA (the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) protects health information handled by traditional healthcare providers. But not all app-based therapy qualifies. Some platforms structure themselves as “wellness” services rather than medical providers, which can reduce privacy protections.
  • Consent ambiguity. A checkbox saying “I agree to data collection” is not the same as understanding that a machine is analyzing your voice for emotional patterns. Many patients would never guess that kind of tracking is happening.

What Readers Can Do

You don’t have to stop using online therapy, but you can take concrete steps to protect your privacy.

1. Ask Your Provider Directly

Before or during your next session, ask specific questions:

  • “Do you or your platform use AI to analyze, transcribe, or record my sessions?”
  • “Who has access to the audio or video of my sessions besides you?”
  • “Is my data used to train AI models, and can I opt out of that?”
  • “Where is my data stored, and how long do you keep it?”

A legitimate provider should be able to answer clearly. If they dodge or give vague responses, that’s a red flag.

2. Check Platform Settings and Privacy Policies

Log into your account and look for privacy or data settings. Some platforms let you disable AI features, opt out of recording, or request that your data be deleted after a certain period. If you can’t find those options, contact customer support and ask how to opt out.

Also read the privacy policy—specifically sections about “automated decision-making” or “data sharing with third parties.” If the language is broad or confusing, it may be designed to give the company wide latitude.

If you are using a therapist who is licensed and part of a HIPAA-covered practice, you have stronger protections. You can request an accounting of disclosures and ask for data deletion in many cases. However, if you’re using a wellness app or a platform that explicitly states it’s not a medical provider, HIPAA may not apply. State laws (like California’s Consumer Privacy Act) can offer additional rights, but they vary.

4. Consider Alternatives

If your current provider refuses to disclose its AI practices or you’re uncomfortable with the answers, look for therapists who explicitly guarantee no AI tracking. Some independent clinicians still work without automated tools, and many are willing to discuss their data practices openly. Search for “privacy-focused therapy” or ask during initial consultations.

Sources

  • Los Angeles Times, “Your mental health provider might be secretly tracking sessions with AI,” June 22, 2026. Note: The investigation did not name specific platforms, so details about which companies are involved remain limited. Check for follow-up reporting to see if more named examples emerge.