New app uses AI to match poems to user moods

A new app called Ode launched this week that uses artificial intelligence to recommend poems based on users' current moods. The free service pairs audio prompts with real poems read by actors and is available on its website and in a mobile app. Users answer spoken questions from an AI narrator that takes on the persona of the app's founder.

The system selects from existing poems rather than generating new text, and all user conversations remain confidential.

Background and development The app builds on an earlier series of books that grouped poems by emotional states such as grief and anxiety. Several actors recorded readings for the project, and the service received approval from the Organisation for the Review of Care and Health Apps.

A product lead at Microsoft AI, which supplied the voice and transcription models, said the technology is intended to extend human connection rather than replace it.

Context on mental health services One in four people in the UK experience a mental health problem each year, and the NHS recorded a rise in open referrals last year. Waiting times for talking therapies can stretch from weeks to months, with people eight times more likely to wait over 18 months for mental health treatment than for physical health treatment.

Studies have shown that reading and sharing poetry can help reduce feelings of loneliness, anxiety, and depression. Ode is one of several AI-driven tools positioned to offer an additional option while demand for services remains high.