‘Dartmouth Joins New National Center on AI and Mental Health’ (Dartmouth News – July 29, 2025 – Full Article)
Article Excerpt: Dartmouth joins the multi-institutional AI Research Institute on Interaction for AI Assistants, or ARIA, as its center for “use-inspired” research. Faculty and researchers based in the Center for Technology and Behavioral Health in the Geisel School of Medicine, as well as the Department of Computer Science and the Program in Cognitive Science, will lead the implementation of AI into devices and wearable sensors that can provide users with personalized assessment and intervention.
Based at Brown University, ARIA is supported by a five-year, $20 million NSF grant and aims to develop next-generation AI assistants that can interpret a person’s unique behavioral needs to provide safe and effective feedback in real time.
ARIA was announced July 29 as one of five National Artificial Intelligence Research Institutes—plus a hub to coordinate and expand the institutes’ work—launched through a $100 million investment by the NSF. The institutes align with the White House AI Action Plan to ensure the United States’ global leadership in AI development.
“Dartmouth is the birthplace of AI, so we are especially excited to bring our long-standing expertise to this national AI institute and work with an extraordinary group of partners across the nation,” says Lisa Marsch, the founding director of CTBH who will serve as ARIA’s behavioral and mental health lead.