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Show HN: I made an emotional support AI companion
Hey HN,
Remus here, solo dev building side projects after my 9 to 5.
I've always had this idea spinning in my mind for a truly conversational AI that is curious, asks questions, and is compassionate.
Something that understands and resonates with you can offer a safe space to talk about problems that may otherwise be harder to discuss with others.
In crafting Sayfli, my mission was clear: to complement, not substitute.
Sayfli isn't here to replace the irreplaceable: the warmth of human conversation and the invaluable exchanges with those we hold dear. Rather, it's here to be the first step on a path towards open, meaningful engagement with ourselves and, ultimately, with each other.
While Sayfli provides emotional support, it is not a replacement for professional therapy and is not designed to be used as such. It is meant to serve as a preliminary step towards self-awareness and can be used alongside professional counseling.
- jerbear4328 2y agoWhat AI does this use? How can it be "end to end encrypted" if the server has to decrypt it to run an AI model?
- remusnegrota 2y agoIt is based on GPT4. Also tried Mistral, but found it less capable. Thinking on testing LLama as well. Communication is encrypted in transit and at rest. May have to change the copy a bit to avoid confusion
- racional 2y agoI hope this doesn't come off as a shallow dismissal, because I'm sure you have good intentions and you've obviously put a lot of thought into this. But on a gut level, it sounds like you're trying to pass off a heaping spoonful of marketing doublespeak here. In particular, the terms "emotional support" and "trusted companion" and "compassionate" are inherently misleading when used to describe these tools. And to characterize them as such is potentially quite harmful to people facing a serious mental health crisis. Worse, you say "it isn't here to replace the irreplaceable" but when you use such terminology you are implicitly conveying the impression that these tools will do exactly that. Drop those and similar terms from your promotional materials, please. "A preliminary step toward self-awareness" sounds infinitely more plausible.
- remusnegrota 2y agoI understand your point, but the word selection can be quite subjective. I've taken a lot of care when finding the right words. Copyright will improve as it evolves. I don't understand your reference to people with a 'serious mental health crisis.' I've specifically mentioned this should not be used as such and it is not marketed as such. I'm a firm believer that people in that condition should get professional therapy.
- racional 2y agoI don't understand your reference to people with a 'serious mental health crisis.' It comes from the fact that a significant portion of your users will surely be in that category. I understand your point, but the word selection can be quite subjective. Right, but in such cases (and especially when dealing with mental health services) one should apply the cautionary principle. And be extra careful to not use words that suggest that your service provides something ("compassion", "emotional support") which it plainly -- does not.
- remusnegrota 2y agoI am well aware of the stigma behind AI and empathy, but a recent study showed that LLMs are starting to provide better emotional support than most humans. I know these are crazy times. Look, I understand your points and am well aware of the thin line that the product must thread, but this is the product's mission: to educate people on the roles AI can have, and the main goal is to talk out loud your thoughts. The most important thing is to take steps towards becoming self-aware of our thoughts by speaking out loud: This is what is meant to be, this is what is presented, nothing more. I will revise the copyright to make this clearer.
- racional 2y agoA recent study showed that LLMs are starting to provide better emotional support than most humans Can you provide a citation?