As colleges and universities continue to grapple with rising demand for mental health services and chronic shortages of clinicians, digital tools are increasingly being positioned as part of the solution. A new randomized clinical trial study, published in JAMA Network Open , adds rigorous evidence to that discussion, evaluating whether a conversational artificial intelligence platform designed to provide emotional support can meaningfully reduce psychological distress among university students.
Valerie A. Canady (2026) studied this question.