This is part of a series of conversations with CBS alumni building or leading businesses tackling the most pressing AI-related challenges and opportunities. Ariana Myers ’02 is a Co-Founder & Strategic Advisor at Mindr, an AI-enabled digital platform designed to reduce the risk of cognitive decline.
What is the business challenge Mindr addresses?
Research shows that up to half of dementias may be preventable by addressing modifiable risk factors. These programs are typically delivered in person, are resource-intensive, and reach only a small fraction of the people who could benefit. Mindr exists to close that gap, by translating evidence-based, multidomain dementia protocols into daily, practical action.
We focus especially on midlife adults and caregivers, people who are often one degree of separation from a dementia diagnosis. They are highly motivated to protect their own cognitive health, but underserved by existing tools. Our platform uses AI to personalize guidance, sustain engagement, and scale what already works, while maintaining human oversight where it matters most.
What has surprised you most about building a healthcare technology company?
Either about the industry, the team, or yourself as a founder.
What surprised me most is how much of the challenge is not technological, but behavioral. The science around dementia prevention is stronger than many people realize, yet translating that evidence into sustained daily action is extraordinarily difficult—especially for caregivers, who are often exhausted and deprioritize their own health.
I’ve also been struck by how invisible caregivers are within the healthcare system, despite carrying enormous emotional, physical, and economic burden. That realization has shaped both our mission and my own leadership approach. As a founder, it’s required patience, humility, and a willingness to listen deeply to users, clinicians, and teammates, rather than assuming the “right” solution will naturally stick.
Which AI capabilities feel most transformative for Mindr and its mission?
The most meaningful use of AI at Mindr is not automation for its own sake, but personalization and continuity. AI allows us to adapt evidence-based guidance to an individual’s context, monitor engagement patterns, and intervene at the right moments, something that would be impossible to do at scale with human coaches alone.
Equally important is what we don’t use AI for. We are deliberate about keeping humans in the loop for emotional complexity, escalation, and oversight. In our view, AI’s role in healthcare is to extend human capacity, not replace it, and to make proven interventions accessible to far more people than traditional models allow.
What risks, limitations, or unanswered questions around AI do you find yourself thinking hardest about?
Trust and overreach. Healthcare is not an area where “move fast and break things” applies. The biggest risks lie in deploying AI without sufficient guardrails, whether through biased data, overconfident recommendations, or erosion of human judgment.
I think a lot about how we ensure AI systems remain aligned with clinical evidence, ethical standards, and the lived realities of users. That means being transparent about limitations, designing for escalation rather than autonomy, and resisting the temptation to frame AI as a cure-all rather than a tool.
How do you see AI enabling Mindr to deepen its mission and scale its impact over time?
Long term, AI allows Mindr to do something healthcare has struggled with for decades: deliver personalized, preventive support continuously and at population scale. As we learn from aggregated, de-identified engagement data, we can refine how and when interventions are delivered, improving adherence without increasing burden on clinicians or caregivers. Crucially, Mindr enables early engagement with at-risk populations, supporting preventive interventions and helping flag meaningful changes that may warrant timely clinical evaluation—which is increasingly important given emerging treatment options.
Done thoughtfully, this creates a path toward prevention that is not only effective, but economically viable, helping individuals preserve cognitive health while reducing downstream healthcare and long-term care costs.
From your vantage point today, what are the leadership traits you’d advise emerging founders to cultivate if they want to build something both meaningful and scalable in the age of AI?
First, discernment. Not every problem needs AI, and not every AI capability should be used simply because it exists. Founders need the judgment to distinguish between what is impressive and what is actually useful.
Second, systems thinking. The most impactful companies in healthcare are built by people who understand incentives, behavior change, and implementation, not just technology.
Finally, humility. AI is powerful, but healthcare is deeply human. Leaders who respect that complexity, and design accordingly, will build solutions that last.
