The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Psychological Intervention for Depression in Adults

Abstract

While depression is one of the most prevalent causes of disability globally, conventional psychotherapy is limited by factors including its cost, stigma, and shortage of trained therapists (Bagheri Sheykhangafshe et al., 2025; Joshi et al., 2025). Artificial Intelligence (AI) has proven itself to be a scalable supplement to in-person care, providing cognitive-behavioral material via chatbots, mobile apps, and web platforms (Zhou et al., 2022; Ni & Jia, 2025). This paper presents empirical findings from a four-to-six-week quasi-experimental, correlational study of the impact of an AI-based psychological intervention on the symptoms of depression in 80 adults (25–45 years) who had mild to moderate depression. The severity of depression was assessed with the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) before the intervention and after the intervention, and engagement was assessed using an AI-engagement scale and a log of usage. The paired t-test revealed a statistically significant decrease in depression scores (mean difference = 7.6, t (79) = 14.32, p < .001), and Pearson correlation indicated that there was a significant relationship between a reduction in symptoms and level of engagement (r = -0.62, p < .01). These results validate the potential of AI-powered tools as an additional, cost-effective and accessible component of mental health care (Boucher et al., 2021).