Jenny Shao, a former practicing physician, left her residency at Harvard to address the mental health challenges intensified by the pandemic. She recognized the toll that isolation had on people’s mental well-being and decided to create an AI assistant named Robyn to provide the support people needed.
Robyn aims to be an emotionally intelligent, empathic AI for users.
Navigating human relationships with AI can be complex. We have general-purpose chatbots like ChatGPT, along with apps designed for companionship, such as Character.AI and Replika, as well as mental health apps like Feeling Great. A study from July revealed that 72% of U.S. teens have utilized AI companion apps, some of which have faced criticism for their potential connection to several suicides, leading to lawsuits.
Shao emphasized that Robyn is not intended to replace therapists or serve as a friendship app. “As a physician, I’ve witnessed the pitfalls when tech companies attempt to take over a doctor’s role. Robyn is not and will never be a clinical replacement. Think of it as someone who knows you well and supports you emotionally,” she explained.
The founder noted that her experience researching human memory under Nobel Laureate Eric Kandel informed Robyn’s design, helping it understand users more effectively.
Available on iOS, Robyn features an onboarding process similar to many journaling apps. It gathers information about you, your objectives, how you react to challenges, and the tone you prefer in responses.
After onboarding, users can engage with Robyn on various topics. For example, when I requested help in building a morning routine, Robyn asked insightful questions and engaged in a discussion about minimizing screen time in the morning.
As you interact with Robyn, the app offers insights into your patterns and traits, like your emotional fingerprint, attachment style, love language, and inner critic. The startup even created a demo site on X for analyzing user profiles and illustrating the insights they could gain from Robyn.
Shao stressed that the company prioritizes user safety, implementing safeguards during testing. If a user mentions self-harm, Robyn provides a crisis hotline number and directs them to the nearest emergency room. The assistant also declines certain requests, like providing sports scores or counting to 1,000, focusing instead on personal support.
The startup has successfully raised $5.5 million in seed funding, led by M13, with notable investors including Google Maps co-founder Lars Rasmussen and early Canva investor Bill Tai. The team has expanded from three members at the beginning of the year to ten.
Rasmussen praised the app’s emotional memory capability and Shao’s mission to help people, which drew him to invest. He commented, “We’re grappling with a massive disconnection issue. People are surrounded by technology yet feel less understood. Robyn directly addresses emotional disconnection, enabling reflection, pattern recognition, and deeper connections with oneself and others.”
One of Robyn’s significant challenges will be ensuring user safety while preventing the anthropomorphizing of the chatbot.
Latif Parecha, a partner at M13, highlighted the importance of developing guidelines for situations where users might be at risk. “There must be safeguards in place for escalations when people are in real danger, especially since AI will be an integral part of our lives, much like our family and friends.”
The startup has been testing Robyn with select users for several months and is launching in the U.S. today. The app requires a subscription priced at $19.99 per month or $199 annually.
