Global attention turned to virtual health care in 2020, when some patients were unable to visit their doctors in person during the pandemic.Wired Magazinedeclared that “artificial intelligence is already powering change in the pandemic's wake.†Other news outletsweren't so convinced. They pointed to the newness of the technology and asked whether artificial intelligence, which powers many telehealth platforms, was mature and secure enough. While the debate unfolded in tech media, one University of Virginia School of Engineering researcher and his collaborators were already years into their research to develop reliable AI that could broaden access to mental health services and serve populations that don't have ready access to medical care. Hongning Wang, associate professor in UVA Engineering's Department of Computer Science, is co-principal investigator with John A. Stankovic, BP America Professor of computer science and director of UVA Engineering'sLink Labfor cyber-physical systems, on a four year, $1.2 million National Science Foundation-funded project to developa personal assistant for caregiversof dementia patients.