NASW AI Resources
Ethics
Ethics Table Talks
Artificial Intelligence in Social Work: Exploring Key Ethical Considerations
Join Dr. Frederic Reamer and Dr. Jamie Sundvall for a discussion on AI ethical considerations for social workers.
Register here to view the free on-demand recording of the discussion. Participants may apply for 1.5 CE credits.
Ethics 8 Tipsheet
8 Ethical Considerations for the Use of Artificial Intelligence in Social Work
The explosive growth of artificial intelligence has ignited both intrigue and trepidation. How can the social work profession harness the benefits of AI while balancing the risks it presents to ethical practice?
Read more about key ethical considerations related to the incorporation of AI in social work
Legal
Navigating Artificial Intelligence & Client Privacy
NASW emphasizes that AI tools expose client data to third-party vendors without traditional protections, risking breaches. Social workers must vet vendors, minimize identifiers, and comply with HIPAA/NASW ethics.
Learn More
Clinical Practice
Includes Technology standards that address AI’s impact on privacy, confidentiality, client autonomy, and algorithmic bias
Video: “Best Documentation Practices: Artificial Intelligence, Medicaid, Private Insurers, Medicare”
Mirean Coleman, Director of Clinical Practice, discusses the risks and benefits of using AI for treatment notes, coding, and in clinical work.
Press
Artificial intelligence in the Behavioral Health Professions: Ethical and Risk Management Issues
Artificial Intelligence in the Behavioral Health Professions explores the ethical and risk-management challenges AI creates for behavioral health professionals. It offers guidance for using AI responsibly while protecting clients and professional standards
Social Work in an Online World: A Guide to Digital Practice
SW Advocates: https://www.socialworkers.org/News/Social-Work-Advocates/April-May-2023-Issue/COVID-19-and-Shift-to-Virtual-Services-Inspired-Book-About-Digital-Practice
Social Work Online CE Institute
Social Work Talks Podcasts
“The Future is Now,” Conversation with NASW CEO Anthony Estreet; Episode 146
Host Jonathan Singer interviews Estreet on AI's opportunities and risks, the need to ensure ethical, client-centered use and plans for AI Taskforce; the Social Work Interstate Compact, and inclusive NASW membership
“AI and Social Work: Balancing Humanity and Technology”
Dr. Goldkind and host Lorrie Appleton discuss AI's role in social work, balancing ethical risks with benefits,urging literacy, skills, and values-driven design to integrate technology humanely
NASW President Yvonne Chase talks to social work experts about the benefits – and detriments – of using AI in the Social Work profession.
Social Work Advocates Magazine
Chat GPT and Social Work: Be Excited, Curious and Skeptical | Social Work Advocates Magazine
NASW Journals
Keeping Up with Technology: Socioemotional and Equity Challenges with Children and Schools
Children and Schools, Volume 45, issue 3, July 2023.
This article cautions that while AI and technology can enhance education, they pose risks to equity, privacy, and human connection. Ethical use is essential to protect students’ socioemotional well-being
Social Work Blog
“The AI Revolution in Social Work: NASW’s Call for Action” NASW Social Work Blog, February 18, 2025
NASW urges social workers to advocate for a congressional AI Commission for Social Workers to guide AI's integration into the profession
American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare
Grand Challenges for Social Work
Harness Technology for Good
Media Resources
Documentation Strategies: Artificial Intelligence in Social Work; Social Work Today (2025)
Dr. Reamer outlines how social workers can use AI tools for
documentation, risk assessment, crisis support, and other practice
tasks, while managing ethical risks like privacy, bias, and
over-reliance on technology.
AI-Powered Social Work Training; Social Work Today (2025)
This article describes how AI is being used in social work education
and training, emphasizing that students must build strong critical
thinking and ethics skills so they can use AI tools in ways that
enhance, rather than replace, human-centered practice.
Technology: AI in Social Work; Social Work Today (2024)
This article explains how AI tools can reduce social workers’
administrative burden and quickly locate research and practice ideas, so
practitioners have more time and capacity for direct client work and
up-to-date interventions.
Success Program Launch: AI Supported Clinical Training; Inside Higher ED (2024)
Touro University launched an AI pilot in its online MSW program using
Simucase simulations for clinical scenarios, providing students
immediate feedback. The tool boosts confidence, reduces beginner errors
in practicums, and supplies instructors with performance data to refine
courses.
Technology Trends: Measuring Person-Centered Care Using Innovative Artificial Intelligence; Social Work Today (2023)
Victoria Stanhope at NYU Silver School of Social Work is developing
an AI tool using natural language processing to analyze clinical notes
and service plans, measuring the extent of person-centered care delivery
in mental health settings
Ethics and Best Practices: Artificial Intelligence and Social Work; Social Work Today (2023)
The article discusses ChatGPT's rapid rise and potential in social
work education/practice, while cautioning on ethical risks like academic
dishonesty, bias, and over-reliance on unverified AI outputs. It urges
adherence to NASW ethics for responsible use.
How the field of social work is adapting to modern technologies like virtual reality, A.I. | Fortune
Tech advancements in social work can better prepare students for the
realities they face in the field upon arriving on someone’s doorstep,
oftentimes acting as the lifeline people desperately need when
experiencing a potential crisis in life. In February, for example, the
University of Kentucky’s College of Social Work began using
virtual reality (VR) in child welfare investigation simulations
Texas educators explore generative AI adoption – The Et Cetera (eastfieldnews.com)
Karen Magruder, a social work instructor at the University of Texas
in Arlington, has adopted ChatGPT to assist her in class preparation.
Using ChatGPT, she has generated case studies for discussion in her
cognitive behavioral therapy course.Her students analyze responses in
small groups. “It’s been really helpful for saving me a lot of time and
legwork and generating that type of content that then I use with
students,” Magruder said.
Social Work Innovation in the Era of ChatGPT and AI - University of Kentucky College of Social Work (uky.edu)
University of Kentucky College of Social Work DSW student Karen
Magruder is an active participant in the debate around AI applications
and how they will impact social work and the field of higher education.
Recently, her article on the topic was published in
Social Work Today,
and she was accepted to present at the upcoming National DSW Conference
on “The Age of Artificial Intelligence has Arrived: Implications for
Social Work Education.”
The Privacy Issues with Using Generative AI and ChatGPT Are Only Beginning (reworked.co)
In response to growing concerns about the lack of security for the
data provided to ChatGPT, OpenAI announced in late April it would allow
users to turn off the chat history feature for its chatbot. But the
response isn't enough, according to some critics. The “history
disabled” feature means that conversations marked as such will not be
used to train OpenAI’s underlying models and will not be displayed in
the history sidebar. They will still be stored on the company’s servers
but will only be reviewed on an as-needed basis for abuse — and will be
deleted after 30 days.
5 Legal Issues When it Comes To NPOs and Chat - The NonProfit Times
While the use of AI presents numerous opportunities and benefits,
there are a number of legal issues that need to be carefully considered
before going too far down the AI path. Data privacy, intellectual
property, discrimination, tort liability and insurance are top
considerations.
Social Workers in Technology
Columbia University
Courtney Cogburn, PhD, an associate professor at New York’s Columbia School of Social Work
University of Pennsylvania
Desmond Upton Patton, PhD, MSW, Professor, School of Social Policy and Practice; The Waldo E. Johnson Jr. Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania
Silver School of Social Work at New York University
Victoria Stanhope, PhD, MSW, is exploring person-centered care, which ensures that behavioral health care is individualized and service users are active, empowered partners in their treatment.
Doris F. Chang, PhD, is examining Asian American responses to racism in the COVID-19 era, and exploring macro-contextual and individual predictors of discrimination, intergroup attitudes, and collective action to address racial inequality.
Michael Lindsey, PhD, MSW, MPH, has established an AI hub to help researchers investigate how AI-driven systems can be used to equitably address poverty and challenges related to race and public health, and to provide thought leadership on the implications.
University of Portland
Laura Burney Nissen, Ph.D., MSW, Portland State University School of Social Work
Chat GPT – Primer for Social Work – Social Work Futures
List of AI Resource – Social Work Futures
University of Texas at Arlington
Karen Magruder, LCSW, a social work instructor at the University of Texas in Arlington
https://www.uta.edu/academics/faculty/profile?username=johnstonmagrk
Fordham University
Lauri Goldkind, PhD, an associate professor at the Graduate School of Social Service at Fordham University and editor in chief of the Journal of Technology in Human Services Data Justice Collective.
University of Kentucky
Justin “Jay” Miller, PhD, Dean of University of Kentucky College of Social Work
Loyola University
Jonathan Singer, Ph.D., LCSW, Professor and Founder & Host of The Social Work Podcast
Touro University
Jamie Sundvall, PhD, PsyD, LCSW, Assistant Provost of AI, Assistant Dean, Director of Distance Education and Online Program, Graduate School of Social Work