NAED to convene Google, Anthropic and OpenAI for AI eating disorder forum

The National Alliance for Eating Disorders will host a Sept. 29 panel in New York City on how AI is shaping eating disorder risk, support and access to care. The event comes as AI chatbots become a common source of health guidance and 17% of the group’s helpline calls now come from an AI platform.

Why it matters: - AI chatbots are becoming a common place for people to look for help with food, nutrition, exercise, body image and mental health. - Eating disorders pose a difficult safety challenge because harmful signals can hide inside ordinary wellness or self-improvement conversations. - The National Alliance for Eating Disorders said 17% of calls to its National Eating Disorders Helpline now originate from an AI platform. - The Alliance said as many as 70% of people with eating disorders cannot access the care and support they need, which raises the stakes for safer digital tools.

What happened: - The National Alliance for Eating Disorders will host “A Conversation on AI and Eating Disorders” on Tuesday, Sept. 29, from 6 to 9 p.m. ET in New York City. - The event will take place at the 1251 Conference Center in New York City. - Talkspace is presenting the event. - The Conversationalist and the Mental Health Coalition are partnering on the program. - Sophie Beren, founder and CEO of The Conversationalist, will moderate. - Speakers include Dr. Laura Murray of Google, Dr. Esther Howe of Anthropic, Claudia Fischer of OpenAI, Dr. Valerie Douglas of Mpathic and Johanna Kandel of the National Alliance for Eating Disorders.

The details: - The panel will bring together trust and safety leaders, technology and AI executives, researchers, clinicians, advocates and people with lived experience. - The discussion will examine where current safeguards may fall short. - Speakers will look at how AI could help with earlier intervention, education and connections to care. - The event will also address the risk that AI systems could unintentionally reinforce eating disorder behaviors. - Kandel said AI is already part of how people seek information, support and guidance, including people affected by eating disorders. - Kandel said the technology could help connect people to trusted information and resources earlier. - Kandel also said the space requires careful scrutiny because harmful beliefs and behaviors can be subtle and hard to detect.

Between the lines: - The Alliance is signaling that eating disorder safety cannot be solved by technical guardrails alone. - The inclusion of Google, Anthropic and OpenAI suggests the organization wants the companies building these systems in the same room with clinicians and advocates. - The focus on lived experience points to a broader effort to shape AI tools around recovery-oriented care, not just general wellness advice. - The event reflects a larger industry question: whether AI can improve access to support without amplifying risky behavior.

What's next: - The Sept. 29 conversation is expected to surface gaps in existing protections and areas for cross-sector collaboration. - The Alliance plans to use the discussion to help inform safer, more accurate and recovery-oriented technology in eating disorder care. - The organization continues to direct people to its National Eating Disorders Helpline, weekly therapist-led support groups and findEDhelp.com, its treatment and support directory.

The bottom line: - AI is increasingly influencing how people seek help for eating disorders, and the question now is whether the technology can be shaped to support recovery without deepening harm.