Operational Resilience: AI-Powered Mental Health Diagnostics for the Warfighter

Mental health remains one of the most significant challenges to warfighter readiness, with suicide now surpassing combat as the leading cause of death among U.S. service members. Current mental health assessments rely on outdated, subjective methods that are slow, resource-intensive, and prone to misdiagnosis. The Air Force requires an objective, rapid, and scalable solution to assess service members' mental health in real-time and at scale.Senseye is the first AI-driven, non-invasive mental health diagnostic that uses a standard smartphone camera to analyze ocular biomarkers—measuring involuntary eye movements linked to autonomic nervous system activity. This technology provides an objective, real-time assessment of mental health conditions such as PTSD, Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), and Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) with over 85% accuracy. Unlike traditional methods, Senseye does not require self-reporting, clinician oversight, or internet connectivity, making it deployable in both clinical and operational environments.The proposed Phase II effort will refine Senseye’s AI model, integrate it into Air Force operational workflows, and validate its effectiveness in real-world settings. The project will focus on:Enhancing AI algorithms to improve diagnostic accuracy and reduce potential biases.Conducting validation studies with military personnel to ensure efficacy across diverse operational environments.Integrating with Air Force medical and telehealth systems for seamless deployment.Developing a secure, DoD-compliant platform that aligns with military cybersecurity and data protection standards.By leveraging Senseye, the Air Force gains a transformative capability to proactively monitor mental health, reduce non-deployable rates, and improve force readiness. This technology represents a paradigm shift in military medicine, replacing subjective evaluations with precision-driven, AI-enabled diagnostics. Successful implementation will directly support the Air Force’s Operational Imperative #7—Readiness to Deploy and Fight—ensuring warfighters receive timely and data-driven mental health support before conditions escalate into crises.