Cassie is an AI receptionist — and possibly the future of front desk medicine

Humanate's AI medical receptionist "Cassie," created through research conducted at Texas A&M University © Humanate Digital/Texas A&M University

Meet Cassie, she’s a health care receptionist who can check in patients, process paperwork, request medical records and even crack a joke from time to time. Also, “she” isn’t human — she was designed with cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI) by researchers at Texas A&M University.

Commercialized by Humanate Digital, “Cassie” is advertised as being more than just a voice-activated kiosk. She understands facial expressions, speaks over 100 languages (including American Sign Language) and shifts her demeanor based on a patient’s emotional state.

From public health to the front desk

The technology was co-developed by Mark Benden, Ph.D., director of the Center for Worker Health at Texas A&M’s School of Public Health, alongside Humanate co-founders Carlos Rodriguez and Leslie Jebson. Originally thought of as a tool to train remote workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, Cassie evolved into a virtual receptionist thanks to significant advancements in large language models (LLMs) and a partnership with AI innovator NVIDIA.

“We’re not trying to replace doctors or nurses,” Benden said. “We’re focused on the administrative side — tasks that are repetitive, time-consuming and not the best use of a clinician’s time.”

Cassie is currently being piloted in multiple clinics, assisting with patient check-ins, requesting medical records and streamlining intake processes. Humanate took home the grand prize at the 2025 Texas A&M New Ventures Competition, including $35,000 and several investment offers.

Empathy in an algorithm?

One of Cassie’s most novel features is its ability to read and respond to facial expressions. The system uses facial recognition to detect user mood and adapt its behavior accordingly. “She can smile, interact, tell dad jokes — even mimic your mood,” Benden said. “But if you’re on a serious topic, like a cancer diagnosis, she can become more serious, more focused.”

This emotional awareness gives Cassie an edge over static check-in kiosks and scripted chatbots. And it’s not just for adults. Humanate is also developing a pediatric version named “Oliver,” a cartoon-style avatar designed to help children navigate medical settings with a sense of familiarity and comfort.

Answering the staffing shortage

Cassie arrives on the scene when administrative overload and staff turnover are straining many practices. In lower-paying front desk roles, turnover can exceed 200% annually, Benden said. Cassie can fill those gaps without breaks, distractions or sick days.

“These are jobs that turn over very often,” Benden said. “They’re lower paying and most days are pretty much the same; humans don’t necessarily like those kinds of jobs, and that’s why turnover is high.”

While the immediate savings to patients may not be obvious, Cassie’s long-term value lies in clinic efficiency and provider bandwidth. “I think we can improve the quality of care,” Benden said. “Get more doctor-and-nurse time with the patient instead of with the paperwork.”

A patent in progress

Humanate has licensed a Texas A&M-filed patent on the receptionist-focused AI — one of the first in the fast-emerging space of agentic AI. NVIDIA’s role was instrumental, enabling large-scale simulations to accelerate development from prototype to pilot.

“Before large language models, we had to guess what AI assistants might say and manually enter those responses,” Benden said. “Now, Cassie can understand various accents and multiple languages and provide more flexible and intelligent responses.”

Carlos Rodriguez, CEO of Humanate, believes agentic AI will fundamentally change patient-clinician dynamics. “Our agentic AI technology is automating labor intensive work flows to increase access and produce better health care outcomes,” he said.

Real-world results in future promise

Patients seem to agree. Rodriguez said they’ve received positive feedback, especially from older patients. “Some of the older patients, in particular, have written to us and said, ‘It’s so much easier for me to talk to Cassie than to try to navigate confusing websites and mountains of paperwork,” he said.

Whether Cassie becomes a staple at the front desk remains to be seen, but in an era of growing workforce shortages, rising costs and increasing demand for personalized care, the technology appears to offer more than just a cheerful greeting.

“We think health care is primed for this,” Benden said. “They need to be disrupted because they’re struggling to meet the needs.”