Xaia in the news
Coverage of Xaia and the clinical research behind it, from the lab at Cedars-Sinai to the practices using it today.
Cedars-Sinai physician-innovator discusses virtual medicine
Dr. Omer Liran, a physician-innovator and Assistant Professor at Cedars-Sinai, discusses the scientifically validated AI chatbot therapist, which aims not to replace human therapy but to augment it.
Doctors at Cedars-Sinai develop AI-powered mental health ‘robot’ therapist
At Cedars-Sinai, Xaia — an acronym for eXtended-reality Artificially Intelligent Ally — was designed and programmed by Dr. Omer Liran, with ideas and research support from Dr. Brennan Spiegel and therapeutic input from clinical psychologist Robert Chernoff, in collaboration with the medical center’s Technology Ventures. Digital health startups using AI accounted for an estimated $3.9 billion in funding in 2024, or 38% of the sector’s total, according to the digital health advisory firm Rock Health. Mental health was the top-funded clinical area, drawing $1.4 billion.
Xaia on KTLA 5 Morning News at 7
Doctors at Cedars-Sinai developed an AI powered mental health robot.
Cedars-Sinai’s AI Therapist for VR is ‘Quantum Leap Beyond Previous Technologies’
By leveraging virtual reality, Xaia transports users to tranquil places such as sunlit shores or forest streams where the app initiates conversation based on psychological best practices and real-world therapy. It draws from hundreds of clinical transcripts to generate responses via generative AI that feel emotionally attuned. The Los Angeles Times reported that, in one case, Xaia responded to a patient’s cancer diagnosis with, “That must be very hard for you,” and followed by questions about emotional wellbeing and coping mechanisms.
Cedars-Sinai Behavioral Health App Launches On Apple Vision Pro
Cedars-Sinai clinicians and artificial intelligence experts have developed a new application that takes advantage of the unique capabilities of Apple Vision Pro to support patients’ mental health needs. The application—called Xaia, for eXtended-Reality Artificially Intelligent Ally—expands access to mental health support for patients, furthering Cedars-Sinai’s mission to elevate the health of communities it serves in Los Angeles and beyond.
Cedars-Sinai Introduces Xaia: AI-Powered VR Therapy App for Mental Health Support
Cedars-Sinai clinicians have collaborated with AI experts to unveil Xaia, an innovative AI-powered virtual reality (VR) therapy app. Leveraging the capabilities of Apple Vision Pro, Xaia aims to provide an immersive and accessible approach to mental health support. The app, developed with the intent to revolutionize mental health accessibility, combines AI and virtual reality to offer users a self-administered therapeutic experience in serene virtual environments.
Artificial Intelligence and Spatial Computing Provide Mental Health Support
Imagine a trained mental health therapist available anytime, anyplace, always ready to listen, converse and support a patient’s needs. Impossible? Xaia begs to differ.
The VR doctor is in: Cedars-Sinai adds AI-powered therapy app to Apple Vision Pro headset
An app developed by Cedars-Sinai for use with Apple’s new spatial computing headset is putting a new spin on the concept of virtual care. The telehealth services that have exploded in popularity since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic work by remotely matching patients to licensed (human) physicians, typically via text or video chat. Not so for Cedars’ technology: The eXtended-Reality Artificially Intelligent Ally, or Xaia, uses artificial intelligence to generate a totally virtual therapist that can lead a patient through an immersive therapy session.
AI therapy and ICU training: A first look at health apps for Apple Vision Pro
Apple Vision Pro, the company’s most important new product in a decade, promises to envelop consumers in an immersive world of interactive content while employing clever technologies to make the device more usable and less alienating than virtual reality headsets that have come before it.
The Therapist in the Machine
Broken Bear has purple and tan fur, a placid smile, and patched up circles on his belly: one, he tells me, covers a scar from a broken heart. The avatar of an AI chatbot designed to “love your broken self,” Broken Bear stands slightly slumped, with his paws by his sides. Even though he looks lonely, he’s not the only AI therapist currently on offer. There’s also Elomia, “the artificial intelligence that works like a therapist,” and Meomind, “the world’s first on-demand alternative to therapy.” There’s Wysa, PsyScribe, Lotus, and Youper. There’s Pi AI, “the first emotionally intelligent AI”; Suno, “an attentive, supportive friend always ready to listen”; and Xaia, which stands for “eXtended-reality Artificially Intelligent Ally.”
Cedars-Sinai utilizes Apple Vision Pro and AI to create mental health companion
Xaia is an AI-enabled digital therapy platform accessible via Apple's augmented reality headset that helps individuals with pain, anxiety, depression and addiction.
Cedars-Sinai Creates an Avatar for Mental Health Treatment
The Los Angeles health system has launched XAIA, an AI-enhanced VR app designed for use with the new Apple Vision Pro headset.
Cedars-Sinai using AI, VR technology to help patients with mental health therapy
As the use of technology continues to grow, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center is using it to help patients with their mental health.