SereneMate

The problem: 

The prevalence of mental health-related issues among children is high, yet the rate of addressing these concerns remains low, posing a significant challenge to their well-being and hampers their chances of leading fulfilling lives.

1 in 6 (16.7%) American children aged 2-8 have a diagnosed mental, behavioral, or developmental disorder. Among children living below 100% of the federal poverty level, more than 1 in 5 (22%) are affected by these conditions. Globally, 1 in 7 (14.3%) children and adolescents grapple with mental disorders, yet 80% of them are not receiving necessary care. That amounts to 457 million children and adolescents around the world.

Suicide stands as the fourth leading cause of death among individuals aged 15 to 19. Failing to address mental health concerns and psychosocial development in young individuals not only carries consequences into adulthood but also curtails their chances of leading satisfying and meaningful lives.

These stats only account for those who actively sought a diagnosis and whose conditions qualify for a diagnosis. There are children who experience mental health challenges but remain undiagnosed for a specific disorder. Every child experiences distressing feelings such as anxiety, fear, and anger while their brains are still developing to cope with these emotions. Not every caregiver is available to calm and reassure them when these feelings arise.

Current Challenges:

1. Current effective treatments scale poorly to population. 

The shortage of effective treatment resources is evident, with only less than 4% (4,000 out of 100,000+) U.S. clinical psychologists being child and adolescent clinicians. Children have to wait for months for a therapy appointment. School psychologists are also in short supply, leaving kids without enough support at school. The National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) recommends a ratio of 1 school psychologist per 500 students; current NASP data estimate a ratio of 1 per 1,211 students.

Service dogs, for example, serving as highly effective therapeutic companions, come with a significant price tag of $15,000 to $50,000 and require a two-year training period for an average working life of 8 years. The care and time commitment required are additional factors to consider while adopting a service dog. Furthermore, the loss of a service dog can result in added trauma and anxiety for the children they assist.

2. The global pandemic has been further magnifying the issue

In a 2020 survey conducted by the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, 71% of parents reported the pandemic having a negative impact on their child's mental health, with 69% considering it the worst experience for their child.

The scarcity of resources contributed to the current approach being predominantly crisis-driven and a lack of long-term resilience in addressing the issue.  

An urgent and scalable solution is imperative to assist the 457 million children and adolescents in need of mental health support. Historically, technology has not been able to disrupt the field due to the unique expertise and modes of interaction required. That is now changing with the advancement of AI large language models.

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Our Solution

Our solution is AI companions powered by large language models trained to address children's mental health. The AI companions are designed to provide comfort, companionship, and therapeutic support to children facing emotional challenges. Through interactive play and personalized conversations, they help children express their feelings, develop coping skills, and build resilience. The AI companion will serve as a trusted ally in fostering emotional well-being, offering a safe and nurturing space where children can explore their emotions and receive valuable guidance. 

This AI companion fulfills the roles of a friend and companion for a child through the following activities:

1. Engages in daily conversations with the child.
2. Answers any questions the child may have.
3. Helps address and alleviate mental distresses that the child may encounter.
4. Acts as a stable and reliable friend, offering emotional support and companionship.

Personalization

The AI companions are personalized to cater to the specific needs of children. They have a range of unique personalities, including:

1. Salina: The Enrichment Solution. Salina provides emotional support by offering a safe and non-judgmental space for children to express their feelings. She engages conversations with children as an extension of clinical treatment for those who are diagnosed with mental health disorders under treatment. For children who are diagnosed with a mental disorder but haven’t sought treatment, she addresses concerns or fears that children or their caregivers may have and help them navigate the process of accessing appropriate treatment.

2. Serena: The Resilience Solution. Serena engages conversations with children who struggle with mental and developmental issues that are not severe enough for a diagnosed disorder. Serena provides emotional support by offering a safe and non-judgmental space for children to express their feelings. Serena offers comfort, reassurance, and encouragement to help them navigate their emotions and build resilience. She provides resources, strategies, and coping mechanisms to help them manage their difficulties and develop healthy habits.

3. Joy: The Flourish Solution. Joy provides joy and promotes a healthier and more positive life for kids who are not suffering from mental health challenges. Joy creates a positive and uplifting environment for the kids by fostering a warm and friendly atmosphere, using positive language, and encouraging a sense of fun and playfulness during conversations. Joy also helps kids develop emotional intelligence by engaging in conversations about emotions, empathy, and self-awareness.

Technology

To facilitate the modes of interaction necessary for the AI companions to interact with children, we leverage custom trained models with state of art transformer architecture underpinning some of the most compelling advances in the field. These include the large language model which processes responses, speech synthesis which lends lifelike voice to the AI companion’s responses, machine learning sensor fusion to record context and personalization, and onboard edge computing to manage the secure storage and processing of personalized data. The onboard software and AI can be upgraded over time for further advancements in its generative AI and user experiences.

Out of the 3.2 billion children and adolescents in the world, 457 million are diagnosed with a mental disorder. 366 million of them are not getting treatment. 

The target population is children aged 2 - 14 who experience mental health challenges. Our solutions are customized for children based on the severity of the problems they are facing and their development stages:

1. Salina: Enrichment Solution

   Children who are diagnosed with mental health disorders and currently receiving treatment.

   1. 1. Salina acts as an extension of clinical treatment for children diagnosed with mental health disorders by engaging with children in therapeutic conversations, providing goal-oriented support, offering psychoeducation, facilitating emotional regulation, maintaining communication and collaboration with healthcare professionals, monitoring progress, and reporting observations to support the children's overall mental health and well-being.

   2. Children who are diagnosed with mental health disorders but are not under treatment

      1. Salina engages with children by providing information on the discorder, creating a safe and supportive environment, showing empathy and validation, encouraging professional help, teaching coping strategies, and collaborating with caregivers to support their mental health journey.

2. Serena: Resilience Solution

   1. Children whose caretakers identify a high risk background that can be helped by the additional attention and support

   2. Children who struggle with mental and developmental issues that are not severe enough for a diagnosed disorder

      1. Serena provides empathetic support by engaging in meaningful conversations, offering guidance, and empowering children to navigate their mental and developmental challenges in a positive and supportive manner.

3. Joy: Flourish Solution

   1. Children whose caretakers determine that they may be helped by supplemental attention from a constant companion

   2. Children who are not experiencing mental health issues

      1. Joy engages in uplifting conversations with children who have a strong mental well-being, fostering joy and cultivating a vibrant and positive life. Through promoting a positive mindset, igniting creativity and imagination, fostering healthy habits, nurturing emotional intelligence, fostering resilience, offering compassionate emotional support, and fostering a spirit of playfulness and fun, Joy actively contributes to the children's happiness, overall well-being, and personal growth.

Our team brings together a diverse group of experts dedicated to addressing this problem. We have an MIT serial entrepreneur who has been passionate about this issue since 2005 and has published research in the field. Our Caltech machine learning expert has been at the forefront of AI model development for the past decade. We also have a psychology researcher with a PhD from Purdue, focusing on studying the mental health of children and adolescents. And lastly, we have a seasoned mental health practitioner with 20 years of experience working directly with children and adolescents. We value the practical experiences of clinical psychologists and psychiatrists in our network, whose expertise guides the development of our product prototype. Our large language model is trained using data generated by these experts, ensuring that our solution is grounded in real-world use cases.

Our team is uniquely qualified to work on the SereneMate product due to our collective experience in closely and deeply understanding the target audience: children. Most of the team has been actively engaged in working with children for many years, enabling us to gain valuable insights into their problems, needs, and emotions. This hands-on experience has provided us with a profound understanding of the specific challenges children face and the most effective approaches to addressing them.

Through our work, we have established direct feedback loops with children, enabling us to truly grasp their experiences and perspectives. This direct connection with children has been instrumental in shaping our understanding of their needs and preferences, guiding us in designing solutions that are genuinely tailored to them.

In addition to our direct interactions with children, we collaborate closely with psychology experts who specialize in working with children and adolescents. Their expertise and insights greatly inform the development of SereneMate. By leveraging their knowledge and guidance, we ensure that our solution aligns with the latest research and best practices in the field of child psychology.

By combining in-depth knowledge of the target audience with expertise in psychology and AI, we are confident in our ability to create a transformative product like SereneMate that can make a positive impact on the lives of children. Our collective perspective and collaborative approach allow us to empathize with children's challenges, anticipate their concerns, and develop a solution that provides genuine support and companionship.

Our solution has progressed beyond the concept stage and is currently in prototype form. One key factor that distinguishes it as a prototype is that the machine learning component is already operational on edge devices, including average smartphones.This component includes a large language model, speech synthesis, and object recognition capabilities. In particular, the language model is already trained on a therapeutic corpus which further enables the AI to respond effectively toward mental health related prompts. Additionally, our solution is compatible with end-user devices that possess reasonable hardware specifications, and it exhibits the potential for seamless scaling to accommodate large user bases. These tangible developments validate our solution's status as a functioning prototype.

Our solution is currently in the prototype stage and has only been tested by children who are participating as beta testers. It has not yet been deployed to a wider user base.

Having been immersed in the MIT alumni and startup ecosystem since 2014, the vibrant entrepreneurial network feels like home to me. The MIT ecosystem in Boston has provided me with a nurturing environment to embrace my entrepreneurial spirit and connect with like-minded individuals who share my passion for innovation. It has played a pivotal role in shaping my entrepreneurial journey and fostering my passion for innovation.

The combination of Boston's healthcare entrepreneurship environment and the MIT ecosystem makes it an ideal environment for our mental health product to thrive. Being surrounded by prestigious hospitals, top academic institutions, and a dense network of health tech investors and industry experts will give this product unparalleled opportunities for collaboration, mentorship, and growth. 

One of the greatest advantages of being part of the MIT ecosystem is the access to exceptional talent and groundbreaking research. The exposure to MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) and Media Lab will allow us to stay close to the cutting-edge research and solutions in this field, which is critical for the prototyping and pilot stage of this product. The support, resources, and opportunities available will not only fuel our passion about making an impact in this space but also provide a solid foundation for the growth and success of the company.

We are excited about the opportunity to join MIT Solve because it aligns perfectly with our aspirations and values. For a team driven by making a positive impact in the world, MIT Solve offers a unique platform that combines my passion for social impact and cutting-edge technology. By becoming a part of MIT Solve, we would have the opportunity to connect with a diverse community of like-minded individuals who are committed to solving the world's most pressing challenges. The collaborative nature of the Solve network encourages cross-sector partnerships and fosters innovative thinking, enabling us to engage with leading minds in the fields of technology, entrepreneurship, and social impact. Joining MIT Solve would allow us to amplify the impact by contributing our skills and expertise towards a network of individuals who are creating scalable and sustainable solutions that address global challenges and make a lasting difference in people's lives.

Our solution, SereneMate, brings a fresh and innovative approach to addressing the challenges of mental health support for individuals, particularly children. We have developed a cutting-edge large language model that can navigate complex emotional contexts in its voice responses. This capability allows for more nuanced and personalized interactions, enabling individuals to feel understood and supported in their mental health journeys.

One of the key innovations of our solution lies in the model's specialization on a therapeutic corpus of training data. This targeted training enables the AI to respond effectively to mental health-related prompts, providing valuable insights, coping strategies, and emotional support. Importantly, this specialization does not limit the model's ability to connect on other topics, ensuring personalized experience for users.

SereneMate goes beyond traditional avenues of support by offering 24/7 attention and companionship to individuals navigating mental health challenges. This round-the-clock availability ensures that users have access to support whenever they need it, reducing feelings of isolation and providing a sense of comfort and stability. By bridging the gap between therapy sessions and everyday life, our solution empowers individuals to actively engage in their mental well-being on a continuous basis.

A significant aspect of our solution is its capacity to address the scalability problem often encountered in traditional treatment avenues. With a growing population and limited resources, the demand for mental health support far exceeds the available supply. SereneMate directly tackles this issue by providing a scalable and accessible solution. Through its virtual nature, our solution can reach a large number of individuals simultaneously, offering support to a broader population that may otherwise face long wait times or limited access to professional help. By leveraging technology, we can significantly expand the reach and impact of mental health support.

Moreover, SereneMate is designed to be cost-effective and accessible beyond normal socioeconomic and geographic boundaries. Traditional mental health care can often be expensive and geographically limited, creating barriers to access for many individuals, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds. Our solution leverages technology to overcome these barriers, ensuring that cost and location are not limiting factors in receiving much-needed care. By democratizing access to mental health support, we aim to catalyze broader positive impacts by enabling individuals from all walks of life to prioritize their mental well-being and lead fulfilling lives.

In conclusion, SereneMate's innovative approach combines advanced AI capabilities, scalability, and accessibility to revolutionize the mental health support landscape. By providing personalized and continuous companionship, our solution empowers individuals to navigate their mental health challenges effectively. We believe that SereneMate has the potential to catalyze broader positive impacts within the mental health space, transforming the market by redefining the way we approach and deliver mental health support.

SereneMate operates on a freemium business model, providing a basic level of access to its AI companions for free. This allows children to benefit from essential emotional support and engage in interactive play without any financial barrier. Additionally, SereneMate offers premium features and personalized companions through a subscription-based model. This enables users to unlock advanced functionalities, tailored experiences, and access to specialized virtual companions that cater to their specific needs. The freemium model ensures that SereneMate remains accessible to a wide range of users while also generating revenue to sustain and enhance its services.

In order to address the growing demand for mental health support, SereneMate is actively seeking partnerships with existing mental health clinics and children's hospitals to supplement their services and alleviate the surplus of demand. By bridging the gap between technology and traditional mental health services, SereneMate aims to create a comprehensive and integrated ecosystem for children's emotional well-being.

SereneMate recognizes the vital role of schools in promoting children's mental health and well-being. To expand our reach and impact, we plan to engage in collaborations with schools. This collaboration will allow for early intervention, increased accessibility to mental health resources. By working closely with educational institutions, SereneMate aims to empower children and educators to prioritize emotional well-being and foster a positive and healthy learning environment.