{"id":"AIBD-0639","title":"Independent UK trial finds that the Woebot chatbot reduced anxiety and depression in adults with persistent tinnitus","summary":"In a Leeds Trinity University trial of 105 adults with tinnitus, 8 weeks of *Woebot* cut anxiety and depression scores against a waitlist; *Tinnibot* did more.","date_observed":"2026-04-12","date_basis":"source publication","date_precision":"day","benefit_status":"reported","source_collection":null,"source_entry":null,"account":"Researchers at the School of Social Sciences of Leeds Trinity University in England ran a randomized trial with adults who had persistent tinnitus. They recruited through online advertisements with help from the charity Tinnitus UK. Participants used Woebot, a general cognitive behavioral therapy chatbot from Woebot Health, or Tinnibot, a tinnitus-specific app, or waited for eight weeks. The authors describe Woebot as a conversational agent that uses natural language processing. Among 105 participants, Woebot users lowered depression scores on the PHQ-9 from 10.03 to 8.06 and anxiety scores on the GAD-7 from 8.82 to 7.35. The waitlist did not change. Tinnibot users improved more and were the only group with a clinically meaningful drop in tinnitus distress. The authors declare no conflicts of interest, and a grant from the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering funded the study. Tinnitus diagnoses were self-reported, all outcomes were self-reported, and the trial was not registered in advance. The authors report that the app was withdrawn from public use in June 2025.","category":"general benefit","unexpected":false,"purpose":"Woebot was built to deliver cognitive behavioral therapy for mood and anxiety. The trial tested it in people with tinnitus, and the benefit to mood and anxiety is the purpose of the app.","system":"Woebot","model_version":null,"developer":"Woebot Health","deployer":"Leeds Trinity University School of Social Sciences (trial)","location":"United Kingdom (online trial recruited with Tinnitus UK)","domain":"Mental health care","segment":null,"benefit_type":"Improved Physical Health","taxonomy_note":null,"registry_ids":{},"ratings":[{"group":"personal","depth":2,"reason":"Woebot users lowered PHQ-9 depression scores by 1.97 points and GAD-7 anxiety scores by 1.47 points while the waitlist did not change."}],"ai_role":{"status":"assessed","statement":"Participants were randomized to Woebot, Tinnibot or a waitlist. The comparison isolates each app against no treatment."},"evidence":[{"kind":"peer-reviewed study","citation":"Jackson JG, Yeates F, Morris B, Hollands S, Drybrough GE. App-based conversational agents for tinnitus distress and mental health: A randomised controlled trial. Internet Interventions 2026;44:100944.","title":"App-based conversational agents for tinnitus distress and mental health: A randomised controlled trial","url":"https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13097093","date":"2026-04-12","written_by":"independent","quote":"Both chatbot groups showed significant improvements in anxiety and depression relative to the control group."}],"replication":{"produced_by":["Participants used the app daily for about 5 to 10 minutes over eight weeks.","The trial recruited adults with self-reported persistent tinnitus who were not in other tinnitus treatment."],"must_hold":["The app remains available to users.","Users engage with it most days for several weeks."],"echoes":[{"date":"2026-09-01","setting":"Woebot for Substance Use Disorders against emailed psychoeducation, 202 US adults analyzed (Stanford and Woebot Health)","model_version":null,"outcome":"did not recur","source":"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42035882"}]},"paired_incident":{"database":"AI Incident Database","identifier":"545","title":"Chatbot Tessa gives unauthorized diet advice to users seeking help for eating disorders","url":"https://incidentdatabase.ai/cite/545","severity":null,"group":"personal","basis":"Both involve a purpose-built mental-health support chatbot, and in the incident the chatbot gave harmful advice to people who sought help for eating disorders."},"headline":"A mental health chatbot eased anxiety and low mood in tinnitus","metric":"Woebot users lowered depression scores on the PHQ-9 from 10.03 to 8.06","comparator":{"against":"Waiting-list control","before":"Waitlist PHQ-9 from 9.29 to 9.64 over eight weeks","after":"Woebot PHQ-9 from 10.03 to 8.06 over eight weeks","basis":"measured","quote":"Participants using the Woebot smartphone application demonstrated a significant reduction in depression from M = 10.03 (SE = 0.53) to M = 8.06 (SE = 0.48)","url":"https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13097093"},"later":{"status":"withdrawn","date":"2025-06-01","note":"The authors report that Woebot was withdrawn from public use in June 2025.","quote":"Although the App was withdrawn from public use in June 2025","url":"https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13097093"},"value":null,"developer_country":"United States","deployer_country":"United Kingdom","unrated_because":null,"brief_notes":null,"brief":null,"revisions":[{"date":"2026-10-29","change":"Added the case.","source":"https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13097093","editor":"AIBD"},{"date":"2026-10-29","change":"Linked a comparable incident in the AI Incident Database (incident 545).","source":"https://incidentdatabase.ai/cite/545","editor":"AIBD"}],"confidence":"studied","shade":"high","claim_status":"Independently studied","claim_basis":"Sources: one independent peer-reviewed study. 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