Brave New World - Part 2

From Inside Higher Ed: Dartmouth College is developing a new student-facing AI-powered chatbot to improve mental health and thriving on campus. A team of 130 undergraduate researchers are helping faculty develop the app, Evergreen, by examining relevant research and making the bot more conversational to student users. The goal is to leverage artificial intelligence to provide personalized interventions for students, considering their needs, habits and overall health goals, said Nicholas Jacobson, associate professor of biomedical data science and psychiatry and one of the project leaders.

...Mental health issues are one of the top reported barriers to student retention in higher education. A large share of college students report feeling depressed or anxious, according to national studies of student mental health. At the same time, many college campuses face a shortage of available counselors, and in any case, a significant number of students are unaware of or hesitant to use campus resources for mental health support...

...Evergreen is a mobile app students can choose to download. Unlike other AI-powered large language models such as ChatGPT or Gemini, Evergreen focuses only on health topics, including exercise, diet, time management and sleep. The chatbot offers targeted messages based on the student’s stated health goals and other linked data—including sleep hours, step counts, geolocation and learning management system information—to provide insights and create health plans... Like a smartwatch reminding you to stand up or drink water, Evergreen will notice if a student who normally visits the fitness center hasn’t done so or encourage a student to leave the library after studying for six hours...

Full story at https://www.insidehighered.com/news/student-success/health-wellness/2025/10/14/dartmouth-builds-its-own-ai-chatbot-student-well.