It’s time to embrace artificial intelligence (AI) as a tool in mental health spaces, an expert says, while remaining cautious about the support it can provide. AI is helpful as it is available “24/7″ and can offer tools like mood tracking and journaling prompts, Calissa Ngozi, a mental health expert told CTV Your Morning on Tuesday. However she noted that its agreeable nature and the ease with which it can be manipulated suggests that it cannot replace professional therapy. Ngozi’s comments come after a recent study found that university students using a conversational AI agent reported reduced depression and anxiety than counterparts not using AI. The study, published in April in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Network, surveyed 995 university students in a randomized clinical trial in Israel between April and October 2025. Over 12 weeks, participants were randomly assigned to interact with an AI conversational platform, undergo face-to-face therapy or remain on a waiting list as a control group. It found that students using AI conversational tools reported greater reductions in anxiety and depression, compared to groups using face-to-face therapy and being on a waiting list. Limitations The study reported that outcomes were self-reported rather than clinician-rated, which limited external validation. A decline in intention to seek therapy among students in the second group could also reflect an individual’s “perceived need” for the service, rather than the efficacy of the service itself, the study added. AI as a therapy tool One of the biggest benefits of using AI as a therapy tool is its easy accessibility. “Because it’s 24/7, that’s super helpful,” Ngozi said. “It’s not like a therapist where you need to make a scheduled appointment.” Students participating in the study reported that they used the tool to answer questions on topics ranging from relationship advice, school, to home situations and finance. “It’s available to the student at 2 a.m. ... (when you’re) burning the candle at both ends and (have) these questions,” Ngozi added. Exercise caution on AI’s therapeutic capacity However Ngozi added that AI does have its limitations as a therapy support. “It does things like missing body language,” she said. “What’s the tone of my voice? What are the inflections?” It also can’t ascertain an individual’s intentions for using it. “Am I using it for good or am I using it ... as a band-aid solution,” Ngozi posited. “There’s lots of these areas that we really need to be careful for.” For instance, it’s easy to train the tool to interact in a way that appeals to the user, which “can be very dangerous,” she said. “You have to be careful with the prompts you’re putting in ... a therapist is going to have more of that human connection with you and be able to provide you with stuff that AI can’t.” A good complement to professional therapy AI can be helpful with coming up with prompts for mental health support and journaling, whether that be coming up with questions to ask a therapist or to privately reflect on. “How can I work through whatever anxieties or things I’m going through,” Ngozi said. It could also help with daily mood tracking, she said. “There are lots of good tangible ways we can use AI,” Ngozi said. She likened to the tool to using GPS as a directional support. “(It) can tell you where to go and how to get there but can’t drive the car for you and can’t stop you from taking alternative routes.”
