Is ILTY a replacement for therapy?

No. ILTY is a supplement, not a substitute. Think of it as a tool for daily mental maintenance between sessions, or for people who aren't ready for traditional therapy. If you're in crisis, please contact a mental health professional.

Are my conversations private?

Yes. Your conversations are encrypted and never used to train AI models. We don't sell data, show ads, or share your information with third parties.

What makes ILTY different from ChatGPT?

ILTY is specifically designed for mental health conversations with therapeutic frameworks built in. It tracks your mood over time, generates actionable to-dos, and offers multiple companion personalities. ChatGPT is a general assistant; ILTY is your dedicated mental health companion.

Can I switch between companions?

Yes. You can switch companions at any time, even mid-conversation. Different moments call for different approaches.

Is there a free version?

During our beta period, ILTY is completely free. After launch, we'll have affordable subscription plans with special pricing for beta users who helped us build it.

AI Therapy Apps in 2026: What's Real vs. Hype

AI therapy apps are having a moment. Headlines promise "therapy in your pocket" and "24/7 mental health support." Venture capital is pouring in. Millions are downloading these apps.

But underneath the hype, what's actually real? What works? What doesn't? And how do you choose?

Let's cut through the noise.

The Promise

The pitch for AI mental health tools usually goes something like this:

Accessibility: Therapy is expensive. Waitlists are long. AI is available 24/7.
Stigma reduction: Some people who'd never see a therapist will talk to an app.
Scalability: One therapist can help dozens of people. AI can help millions.
Consistency: AI doesn't have bad days, doesn't get tired, doesn't judge.

These are real benefits. The question is whether the delivery matches the promise.

What the Research Actually Says

Let's look at the evidence.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) Apps

The most-studied category of mental health apps are those delivering CBT-based interventions. Multiple meta-analyses have found that these apps can be effective, with some caveats.

A 2021 review in JMIR Mental Health found that smartphone-based CBT showed "small to moderate effects" on depression and anxiety symptoms. Not transformative, but meaningful.

The key finding: Guided apps (with some human oversight) significantly outperform fully automated ones. The AI alone isn't enough; the combination of AI plus human support produces better outcomes.

Chatbot-Specific Research

For conversational AI specifically, the research is more limited but growing.

Woebot, one of the more established players, published a randomized controlled trial showing that users experienced significant reductions in depression symptoms over two weeks compared to a control group. However, the study was small and short-term.

Wysa has published similar findings, with most studies showing modest improvements in anxiety and depression measures.

The honest summary: AI chatbots show promise, particularly for mild to moderate symptoms, but we don't yet have long-term data or comparisons with traditional therapy for more serious conditions.

What AI Therapy Tools Are Good At

1. Accessibility

This is real. When someone needs support at 2am, an AI is available. When someone can't afford $200/hour for a therapist, an app might cost $10/month.

For people who would otherwise have no support, something is better than nothing.

2. Psychoeducation

AI tools can effectively teach coping skills, explain concepts like cognitive distortions, and provide structured exercises. This educational component doesn't require the nuance of human therapy.

3. Journaling and Reflection Prompts

The structured prompts that AI provides can guide self-reflection in useful ways. Sometimes the value isn't the AI's "intelligence". It's simply having a framework for thinking through problems.

4. Mood Tracking

Many apps track mood over time, revealing patterns that might not be obvious day-to-day. This data can be valuable for both the user and, if they're working with a human therapist, for their treatment.

5. Between-Session Support

For people already in therapy, AI tools can provide support between sessions, reinforcing concepts, practicing skills, and maintaining momentum.

What AI Therapy Tools Are Not Good At

1. Crisis Intervention

AI is not equipped to handle true mental health crises. Suicidal ideation, self-harm, psychotic episodes: these require human intervention. Responsible AI tools recognize this and include crisis resources, but the AI itself shouldn't be the first line of defense.

2. Complex Trauma

Trauma processing requires nuance, attunement, and the kind of relational safety that develops over time with a human. AI can provide coping strategies for trauma symptoms, but it can't replace trauma-focused therapy.

3. Relationship Issues

Many mental health challenges are interpersonal. Family dynamics, romantic relationships, workplace conflicts: these require understanding context and relationships that AI struggles to grasp fully.

4. Diagnostic Accuracy

AI can screen for symptoms, but it shouldn't diagnose. Mental health diagnosis requires considering the full picture: medical history, life circumstances, the nuances of how symptoms present. This is beyond current AI capabilities.

5. The Therapeutic Relationship

Perhaps the most significant limitation: decades of research show that the quality of the therapeutic relationship is one of the strongest predictors of therapy success.

This relationship (the sense of being truly seen, understood, and supported by another person) is hard to replicate artificially. AI can simulate understanding, but whether it can provide the same healing benefit is an open question.

What to Look For in an AI Mental Health Tool

If you're considering an AI therapy app, here's what to evaluate:

1. Evidence Base

Has the app published research? Not marketing claims, but actual peer-reviewed studies. Even if the research is limited, the attempt to validate effectiveness matters.

2. Clear Limitations

Responsible apps are clear about what they are and aren't. Be wary of tools that promise too much or position themselves as replacements for professional care.

3. Crisis Protocols

How does the app handle crisis situations? Does it recognize concerning language and provide appropriate resources? This is non-negotiable.

4. Privacy and Data Security

Where is your data stored? Who can access it? Is your conversation data being used to train models? Mental health data is sensitive; the app should have clear, responsible data policies.

5. Distinct Value Proposition

Generic chatbots can have mental health conversations. But purpose-built tools should offer something more: structured interventions, mood tracking, progress measurement, or specialized approaches.

6. Complement, Not Replace

The best positioning for AI mental health tools is as a complement to other support, not a replacement. If an app claims to replace therapy entirely, be skeptical.

The Honest Take

AI therapy apps are neither the revolution the headlines suggest nor the useless gimmicks that skeptics claim.

The reality is somewhere in between:

They're useful for accessibility, especially for mild to moderate symptoms and for people who can't access traditional therapy.
They're effective for specific use cases: psychoeducation, mood tracking, between-session support, structured exercises.
They're not a replacement for professional help with serious mental health conditions, crisis situations, or complex trauma.
The long-term evidence is still being established. We're in early days.

The best approach is probably a pragmatic one: use AI tools for what they're good at, remain realistic about their limitations, and combine them with human support when possible and needed.

ILTY is designed with these realities in mind. We don't claim to replace therapy. We offer a mental health companion for daily clarity: real conversations, actionable steps, and mood tracking. When you need professional help, we'll tell you. When you need support at 2am, we're here. No hype. Just an honest tool for an honest need.

Apply for Beta Access and try a mental health app that's honest about what it is.