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Background Barriers to mental-health care include limited resources and workforce, access constraints, and stigma. Artificial-intelligence (AI)–enabled chatbots may offer low-threshold support. Methods Cross-sectional correlational (comparative) study in one private health-sciences university in the UAE. Proportional stratified random sampling across four colleges yielded n = 298 undergraduates. Instruments: (i) Socio-Demographic Questionnaire; (ii) researcher-developed AI Chatbot Usability questionnaire (content validated by a bilingual specialist); and (iii) Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21; established reliability/validity). Questionnaires were administered face-to-face with standardized instructions. Results 206/298 (69.1%) had ever used an AI chatbot; most used Snapchat AI (76.9%), followed by ChatGPT/Bard (23.4% each). Overall, 57.0% had moderate-to-extremely-severe depression, 68.5% anxiety, and 33.6% stress. Users had higher odds of moderate-to-extremely-severe anxiety and depression than non-users. In multivariable models, higher depression (OR = 1.022; 95% CI 1.01–1.085; p <0.001) and anxiety (OR = 1.05; 95% CI 1.01–1.21; p <0.001) independently predicted chatbot use; stress did not. Conclusion Among UAE health-sciences students, AI-chatbot use is common and associated with higher depression/anxiety severity; this likely reflects help-seeking rather than causation. Universities should integrate early, stigma-sensitive supports, potentially including regulated, evidence-based chatbot tools—within stepped-care services.
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