Cedars-Sinai launches a behavioral health app for Apple Vision Pro

Cedars-Sinai clinicians and artificial intelligence experts have developed an application for Apple Vision Pro to support patients' mental health needs.

Called Xaia, for eXtended Reality Artificially Intelligent Ally, it is designed to expand 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.

Why does it matter?

The idea behind the app was to reimagine how spatial computing can support behavioral health and overall well-being in ways never before possible.

And so, Cedars-Sinai investigators created Xaia as a way to offer patients self-administered, AI-enabled, conversational therapy in relaxing spatial environments such as a creek-side meadow or a sunny beach retreat where patients also can do deep breathing exercises and meditation.

The Xaia application offers users an immersive therapy session led by a trained digital avatar, programmed to simulate a human therapist.

Before the launch of Apple Vision Pro, the Xaia technology was featured in a first-of-its-kind study published in the peer-reviewed journal Nature Digital Medicine. Findings from the study showed Xaia to be both beneficial and safe for patient use.

On the record

"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 Brennan Spiegel, MD, MSHS, professor of Medicine, director of Health Services Research at Cedars-Sinai and co-founder of the Xaia technology. "With Xaia and the stunning display in Apple Vision Pro, we are able to leverage every pixel of that remarkable resolution and the full spectrum of vivid colors to craft a form of immersive therapy that's engaging and deeply personal."

"Apple Vision Pro has allowed us to create a platform where technology fades into the background and the user's healing journey comes to the forefront," said Omer Liran, MD, a psychiatrist at Cedars-Sinai and co-founder of Xaia. "This application is a culmination of years of rigorous research, clinical expertise and a vision to democratize mental wellness in a way that respects the uniqueness of every individual's experience. Using the powerful capabilities of Vision Pro, we're now able to bring this experience to life with its full potential."

"The hospital ecosystem is at the heart of care delivery, and Cedars-Sinai has the unique advantage of being closest to the patients and their varying needs," added James Laur, JD, vice president of Intellectual Property at Cedars-Sinai. "Xaia is the result of several years of support and funding, and we are elated to see the technology come to life in this meaningful and clinically relevant way."

The context

To develop Xaia, Spiegel and Liran enlisted the support of Cedars-Sinai's Technology Ventures — the enterprise that protects and supports the commercialization of discoveries and technologies.

The managing director of Cedars-Sinai's Technology Ventures, Nirdesh Gupta, PhD, said that ideas developed in an academic medical center environment like Cedars-Sinai offer a one-of-a-kind perspective — focused both on advancing research and expediting clinical care needs.