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AI tools to help you stay calm in a complex world
Summary
As mental health struggles rise post-pandemic, AI is stepping in to provide scalable support. From chatbots like Woebot and Wysa to voice analysis tools, AI-based tech is providing both diagnosis and helpThe world is in the throes of a mental health crisis, with loneliness, anxiety and depression showing up in more and more individuals and post-pandemic realities, making it an even more urgent issue. While an estimated one billion people suffered from mental health or substance abuse disorders before COVID-19, the pandemic accelerated the problem, resulting in a 25%-27% rise in depression and anxiety, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Depression affects more than 280 million people worldwide, and nearly one in five people live with an anxiety disorder. Yet, access to timely and effective care remains elusive for many. This is where artificial intelligence (AI) is stepping in to fill critical gaps—not as a replacement for human therapists, but as a support system that is always on, scalable, and surprisingly empathetic.
AI-Powered therapy chatbots
One of the most visible ways AI has entered the mental health space is through chatbot therapists. These AI companions are designed to simulate a therapeutic conversation using natural language processing and machine learning.
Woebot, developed by Stanford researchers, is one of the most well-known apps in this category. It uses principles of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) to help users reframe negative thoughts, manage stress, and track mood. Available 24/7, Woebot’s non-judgmental tone and bite-sized interactions make it particularly appealing to younger users.
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Another standout is Wysa, an AI-driven chatbot with a strong emphasis on emotional resilience. Wysa combines AI conversations with therapist-led support (for those who opt in), and uses evidence-based techniques like CBT, mindfulness, and dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT). It has found adoption not only among individuals but also by employers and health systems looking to extend mental health services.
Hume AI, a research lab and technology company, is focused on building AI that understands and optimizes for human expression and offers APIs to developers that can be used in a variety of scenarios, mental health being a leading use-case for its products like Octave, a voice-enabled LLM surpassing traditional text-to-speech models by understanding the cognitive and emotional nuances of human speech, enabling it to deliver realistic emotions and speaking styles.
Diagnostic and monitoring tools
AI’s potential goes well beyond text-based interactions. Companies like Ellipsis Health’s conversational AI Agent Sage analyzes voice patterns to detect emotional distress. By evaluating the content and tone of speech, it can generate real-time insights into anxiety and depression severity. This has powerful implications for telehealth platforms, where voice analysis could complement clinician assessments or even flag concerns in routine check-ins.
The Headspace Care app (formerly Ginger), offers on-demand mental health coaching via AI-driven triage. The app uses machine learning to assess user needs and route them to appropriate resources—whether that’s self-guided content, a behavioural health coach, or a licensed therapist.
Activity-based AI
Some AI platforms offer activity-based mental health support, with gamified solutions that can calm frazzled minds. Take the Indian app Level SuperMind as an example, which can help reduce stress, anxiety and overthinking with curated activities that you can build into your daily routine, like meditation and breathwork, quick calm and sleep modules, sleep stories, chanting and more.
Othership is a music-driven breathwork app, which over 500 music-driven guided breathwork classes for different scenarios: to kickstart your day, cultivate focus, fight fatigue, sleep deeper and regulate emotions. Similar to this is Endel, a cross-platform audio ecosystem that creates personalized, sound-based, adaptive environments that help people focus and relax.
Excessive phone usage can be a trigger for mental health issues. Clearspace is an intelligent app that helps users reduce compulsive phone use by intercepting impulsive app opens and cutting doomscrolling sessions short.
For different demographics
AI tools are proving especially valuable for populations that face stigma or barriers to traditional therapy.
For instance, Youper, an AI emotional health assistant, is widely used in the LGBTQ+ community for its empathetic tone and privacy-preserving interactions. It guides users through mood journalling, emotional insights, and brief therapeutic exercises.
For teens and adolescents, AI apps offer a discreet outlet. Apps like Kooth blend AI moderation with human support in an anonymous digital community format, addressing the high mental health needs of young users in a familiar, tech-forward way. It offers mini activities to boost well-being, like making your own coping box, creating a ‘good mood’ playlist, and practice grounding techniques.
Voice-first self-therapy tools are recommended for those who are more comfortable talking than typing. Yuna, an AI-guided voice-first mental health coach, CBT-informed conversations for upto 30 minutes at a time and offers tools and exercises tailored to your needs, including stress management, anxiety reduction, and resilience building. It adjusts to your emotional state and preferences, whether you’re looking to explore deep self-reflection or simply navigate daily challenges.
For the neurodivergent, or even those dealing with a dysregulated nervous system due to chronic stress, apps like Neurofit can be helpful. This is a data-driven, neuroscience-based tool designed to help you regulate, balance, and optimise your nervous system with exercises and activities that treat mental health issues through a body-first, rather than mind-first, approach.
in many modes
Multimodal AI—combining voice, text, video, and biometric data—is the future of AI support in mental health. We may also see AI in collaboration with human therapists, who may use AI tools for diagnostics, monitoring, and engagement with clients in between sessions, reducing the pressure on overstretched mental health pros.
