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58 Cornell Int'l L. J. 1 (2025-2026)

handle is hein.journals/cornlintl58 and id is 1 raw text is: NOTE ALEXA, AM I DEPRESSED? REGULATING AND PATENTING MENTAL HEALTH CHATBOTS IN THE UNITED STATES AND FRANCE Beril Karakoyunt In tro d u ction ...........................................................................................1 I. B ackground ....................................................................... . 2 A. The Mental Health Crisis and the Turn to Al................2 B. Al Chatbots as Substitutes for Therapists .....................5 II. Innovation or Protection: Two Divergent Models...........7 A. The United States: An Innovation-First Approach .......7 1. Non-Binding Policies and Fragmented Regulation...7 2. Conditional Review Through the FDA.....................9 3. Strategic Avoidance of the FDA Review and Use of P a ten ts ................................................................. . . 10 4. Ex Post Consumer Protection................................ 13 B. France: A More Protective and Proactive Model.........15 1. EU Rules as Applied in France.............................15 2. Mental Health as a National Cause .......................18 III. Recommendations Toward an International Solution........19 A. Suggestions to Better Protect Users ............................. 20 B. Aligning Intellectual Property with Responsible Innovation 21 C. Lessons from Other Jurisdictions................................ 22 C on clu sion ................................................................................... . . 23 Introduction Artificial Intelligence (AI) chatbots have rapidly entered everyday life. When users decide to rely on them for mental health guidance, these chatbots begin to function as substitutes for licensed clinicians. Users often treat these systems as safe and confidential, without understanding their technical limits or how their sensitive mental health data is collected, stored, and used. T Paris 1 Panth6on-Sorbonne University, Class of 2024, J.D. Candidate, Cornell Law School, Class of 2027.