New AI and Behavioral Health Initiatives Highlighted at Rice-UTHealth Workshop and Google’s AI Education Updates
Rice-UTHealth workshop spotlights new behavioral health school and AI innovations, while Google expands AI educational tools and funding.
- • Rice University and UTHealth Houston hosted a workshop on AI and behavioral health, launching UTHealth's new School of Behavioral Health Sciences.
- • The workshop featured innovative AI applications, including a trauma-informed clinical simulation project that won Idea of the Year.
- • Google updated NotebookLM and launched Guided Learning in the Gemini app to enhance AI literacy and personalized education.
- • Google committed $1 billion to AI education in the U.S., training over 650,000 educators and allocating $150 million for grants.
Key details
On September 25, Rice University and UTHealth Houston co-hosted the Future of AI and Behavioral Health Workshop, an event emphasizing the transformative potential of artificial intelligence in behavioral health care and marking the launch of UTHealth Houston’s new School of Behavioral Health Sciences. This workshop gathered faculty, researchers, and students, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration across clinicians, engineers, and data scientists to explore AI’s role in personalized mental health treatment and clinical simulations. Master’s student Ana Cristina Ruiz won the Idea of the Year award for her project "AI-Driven Clinical Simulations for Mental Health: A Trauma-Informed Approach," showcasing innovative use of AI in clinical training. Sharon Pepper, executive director of Rice’s Office for Educational and Research Initiatives for Collaborative Health (ENRICH), underscored the necessity of institutional partnerships in advancing both research and training.
Parallel to these developments, Google announced significant advancements in AI educational tools during September 2025. Updates to NotebookLM now facilitate active learning through flashcards, quizzes, and custom reports, complemented by new Audio Overviews for diverse perspectives. Additionally, Google introduced Guided Learning in the Gemini app, offering personalized, step-by-step tutoring without providing direct answers. To promote AI literacy widely, Google has released new resources targeting parents, students, and educators, including podcasts and expanded curricula. Sundar Pichai highlighted these initiatives at the White House AI Education Taskforce, noting a $1 billion commitment to AI education in the U.S., including $150 million in grants and over 650,000 educators trained to date.
Together, these institutional and corporate efforts illustrate a growing focus on integrating AI into both behavioral health research and education. The Rice-UTHealth workshop exemplifies academic collaboration to harness AI for behavioral health improvements, while Google’s investments demonstrate a commitment to cultivating AI literacy and personalized learning at a national scale. This convergence signals robust momentum in leveraging AI to address complex health challenges and educational needs throughout 2025.