MindBridge: Responsible AI Chatbots for Graduate Student Mental Health Support in Higher Education
Team name: Team Mind Bridge
Use of AI tools : Gemini
organizing ideas
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Improving clarity and logical flow
How did these tools support your work?
AI tools supported our team by helping organize complex ideas into a clearer structure and improving the readability of our proposal. They assisted in refining language, identifying areas that needed clarification, and strengthening the presentation of ethical and governance-related discussions. All analyses, interpretations, and final decisions were critically reviewed and developed by the team members.
External feedback & contributions : Our project was strengthened through valuable discussions, mentorship, and critical feedback from researchers, reviewers, and peers who helped us refine both the ethical and practical dimensions of our proposal.
Paras Chawla – Provided continuous mentorship, constructive guidance, and critical feedback throughout the development of the project, helping shape the overall direction and research focus.
Christelle Scharff – Offered insightful comments on the clarity of implementation and the practical feasibility of the proposed AI support framework, encouraging us to make the system more realistic and user-oriented.
Nicolas Lepotier – Contributed thoughtful feedback regarding student engagement, compliance, and incentive structures, which helped us consider the behavioral and institutional challenges of implementation
Milagros Espejo Bocanegra – Shared valuable perspectives on AI trust, verification behavior, and learning processes, helping us further reflect on the relationship between students and AI-supported guidance systems
Initial contribution: https://filesender.nii.ac.jp/?s=download&token=e18ccbe3-ee13-4182-b0e6-bda8163da511
Final contribution: https://filesender.nii.ac.jp/?s=download&token=1eac467f-0f1a-40e4-b048-0e311e8cec15
Reflection on the process (important)
During Phase 2, our project evolved considerably through team discussions, participant feedback, and critical reflection on the ethical implications of AI-assisted mental health support.
Initially, our concept focused primarily on the technical possibility of using AI chatbots to provide emotional support for graduate students. However, feedback from discussions and expert perspectives encouraged us to think more critically about the ethical responsibilities associated with deploying AI in sensitive psychological contexts.
Several important themes strongly influenced the development of our proposal:
The importance of protecting user privacy and emotional safety
The limitations of AI-generated empathy
Risks of over-reliance on automated systems
The need for cultural sensitivity when supporting international students
The necessity of maintaining human oversight and professional counseling pathways
As a result of these discussions, we revised our proposal to place much greater emphasis on responsible AI governance and human-centered design. We clarified that Dr. Bridge should function only as a complementary support system rather than a replacement for licensed mental health professionals.
We also strengthened our implementation framework by adding:
Referral mechanisms connecting students to professional counseling services
Ethical safeguards related to informed consent and data protection
Greater attention to inclusivity and cultural diversity
Transparency regarding the limitations of AI-generated responses
This process significantly improved our final proposal by making it more balanced, realistic, and ethically grounded. Through interdisciplinary discussion and critical reflection, we developed a more nuanced understanding of both the opportunities and the risks associated with AI-supported mental health systems in higher education.
Ultimately, our project emphasizes that responsible AI should not attempt to replace human empathy, but instead serve as a bridge that helps students access support more comfortably and effectively.
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