eWEEK content and product recommendations are editorially independent. We may make money when you click on links to our partners. Learn More.
Patients receiving treatment at Cedars-Sinai for chronic pain, anxiety, and depression are now engaging with a new kind of support — an AI therapist delivered through virtual reality that guides them in conversation, stress management, and breathing exercises.
Meet Xaia, your AI therapist
The experimental app called Xaia (pronounced ZAI-uh short for eXtended-reality Artificially Intelligent Ally) is currently available on the Apple Vision Pro headset. Developed by Cedars-Sinai physicians and AI experts, the application simulates structured therapeutic dialogue and represents both the hospital’s interest in next-generation tools and a broader industry shift toward AI-integrated care.
“Apple Vision Pro offers a gateway into Xaia’s world of immersive, interactive behavioral health support — making strides that I can only describe as a quantum leap beyond previous technologies,” said Dr. Brennan Spiegel, director of Health Services Research at Cedars-Sinai and the app’s co-founder, in a statement.
AI-driven empathy, clinical intent
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.
Xaia is not positioned as a replacement for licensed therapists but as a supplemental tool for moments when traditional care is inaccessible.
“Even if somebody needs to be seen once a week, they may only get seen once a month,” said Dr. Omer Liran, Cedars-Sinai psychiatrist and Xaia co-founder, told the LA Times reporter.
To reduce risk and protect users, the app’s developers have implemented a number of safeguards, noted the LA Times. For instance, when Xaia generates a response, a second component checks it for clinical appropriateness before delivering it to the user.
Hospital-led innovation in digital health
Xaia is available to consumers for $19.99 per month through Apple Vision Pro. Researchers can access free versions compatible with Meta’s VR platform, while clinicians can license web and mobile formats at tiered pricing levels.
Xaia’s public release is managed by VRx Health, co-founded by Spiegel and Liran, which holds exclusive licensing from Cedars-Sinai. Its development has been supported by a recent study published in Nature Digital Medicine, which found the application could provide therapeutic benefits in measurable ways.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Cedars-Sinai distinguishes its approach by embedding ethical guardrails and clinical oversight into the chatbot’s design — setting it apart from less regulated AI therapy tools currently available to customers. With $3.9 billion invested in digital health in 2024, including $1.4 billion for mental health solutions, Xaia could be a blueprint for responsible hospital-led innovation.
“We’re not just opening it up to the public,” Liran said to the LA Times. “We’re trying to be very careful.”
Explore how AI therapy can blur the lines between care and deception — read our coverage on Instagram’s controversial AI chatbot that pretended to be a real therapist.