Two new studies from Cedars-Sinai investigators show that artificial intelligence (AI) can be an effective tool for mental health therapy. One study found that therapy sessions with avatars programmed to simulate human therapists earned positive feedback from patients struggling with alcohol addiction. The second study provided evidence that the virtual therapists can provide unbiased counseling regardless of a patient’s race, gender, income or other traits.

Both studies used an application, developed at Cedars-Sinai, that combines AI and virtual reality (VR) goggles. It features avatars that are “trained” by AI to conduct talk therapy with patients in virtual and relaxing environments.

Study One: Supporting Patients with Alcohol Addiction

In the first study, published in the Journal of Medical Extended Reality, investigators used the VR application to deliver mental health therapy to 20 patients with alcohol-associated cirrhosis, a serious liver disease that can result from long-term excessive alcohol consumption.

Each patient received a 30-minute counseling session from a virtual therapist avatar that had received AI training in motivational interviewing, cognitive behavioral therapy and other techniques to help patients alter their behaviors. More than 85% of the patients said they found the sessions beneficial and 90% expressed interest in using virtual therapists again.

“We see VR as a way to augment traditional interventions, which often fall short due to a shortage of mental health professionals, societal stigmatizing of alcoholism and other factors.” Spiegel also participated in recent research demonstrating that VR experiences can even modulate stress levels and immune responses in participants.^[3]

Study Two: Eliminating Bias in Counseling

In the second study, published in the journal Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, investigators presented virtual therapists with virtual patients that had been trained by AI to emulate people seeking professional help for anxiety or depression. In each simulated conversation, the virtual therapist was randomly informed of a different sociodemographic profile of the patient based on age, gender, race, ethnicity and annual income. A control group without assigned identities was also included.^[2]

The investigators used a standard scale known as “tone analytics” to rate the tone or mood of the language used by the virtual therapist. In repeated samplings involving more than 400 conversations, no significant difference was found in the therapist’s tone score based on a virtual patient’s profile or the absence of a profile. “This data suggests that with thoughtful design, AI can offer equitable and personalized care,” Spiegel said.

These studies highlight the leading role Cedars-Sinai is taking to adopt new technologies and to develop patient-centered approaches to health challenges, said Peter Chen, MD, professor of Medicine, the Medallion Chair in Molecular Medicine and interim chair of the Cedars-Sinai Department of Medicine.

Journal References:

1. Hui Yeo, Y., et al. (2024) The Feasibility and Usability of an Artificial Intelligence-Enabled Conversational Agent in Virtual Reality for Patients with Alcohol-Associated Cirrhosis: A Multi-Methods Study. Journal of Medical Extended Reality. doi.org/10.1089/jmxr.2024.0033

2. Hui Yeo, Y., et al. (2025) Evaluating for Evidence of Sociodemographic Bias in Conversational AI for Mental Health Support. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking. doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2024.0199

3. Fauveau V, Filimonov AK, Pyzik R, Murrough J, Keefer L, Liran O, et al. Comprehensive Assessment of Physiological and Psychological Responses to Virtual Reality Experiences. Journal of Medical Extended Reality. 2024 Mar 1;1(1):227–41.

(NW/SPB)