The prototype digital companions are designed to support student mental health and reduce the risk of loneliness.
A UNSW Sydney research team has created new digital AI companions to support students experiencing loneliness or isolation.
Tom and Mia are digital characters who appear on screens and can speak both English and Mandarin. They offer support in daily life and were created with input from Chinese students in UNSW Arts, Design & Architecture's Work Integrated Learning and master's programs, who shared how language barriers and other challenges can impact mental health.
The new virtual companions aim to help students who may not have strong support networks, providing a conversation outlet for processing and regulating difficult feelings. The prototypes were launched as part of a week-long festival on loneliness, hosted by the Big Anxiety Research Centre.
"The AI companions don't replace a professional therapist," says Scientia Professor Jill Bennett, Director of the Big Anxiety Research Centre, who leads the UNSW AI-companion research program. "But if you're feeling down and depressed, our goal is for them to be able to have a relatively skilled conversation, the kind you might have with a friend, attuned to your situation.
"It's about having access to something that can provide useful support in the short term."
Tom and Mia are the newest additions to a suite of digital AI companions created by Prof. Bennett and the felt Experience & Empathy Lab [fEEL] Australian Research Council (ARC) Laureate Lab for a range of users, including people in aged care, living with dementia and other neurodegenerative conditions. The team uses screen-based technology, such as TVs, to 'deliver' the AI companions, while some might interact with AI on their mobile devices.
Addressing loneliness with AI companions
Loneliness is now seen as a major public health issue that affects both physical and mental health, as well as quality of life and how long people live. It's not only about being alone, but also about the quality of our social interactions.
"When people say they're lonely, we look at what type of conversation they want to have, so it's not a blanket prescription," Prof. Bennett says. "Our view is that AI is here and we need to engage, but we are not AI crusaders."
Prof. Bennett's multidisciplinary team combines expertise in psychosocial, design, creative, computer science and AI. They also collaborate with other institutes and clinicians across UNSW to manage risks and implement guardrails that ensure characters' responses adhere to constraints and avoid inappropriate remarks.
"We are training these AI companions to be relatable, fun to talk with and play the role of a friend able to offer psychosocial support," Prof. Bennett says. "We know it's not good for someone's mental health to just agree with everything you say, and you need some resistance to gently challenge people."
The companions are designed to feel like skilled friends, not typical AI chatbots.
"Like a friend, they'll notice when something's wrong and, they might say, 'Let's think about what you can do to change this situation," Prof. Bennett says.
While many large tech companies offer similar standard products, Prof. Bennett and her team distinguish themselves by working closely with individuals with lived experience to design the companions from the outset.
"Our characters are co-designed by the communities who use them – by people who live with the challenges that we want to design our AI companion to address," says Prof. Bennett. "Our companions are modelled on data drawn from lived experience.
"This makes a significant difference in creating relatable AI companions that people want to interact with."
Prof. Bennett emphasises that technology does not replace human companionship but can support, stimulate, entertain and connect.
"It's not to say that you can't have a deep engagement, but the relationship we have with AI will always be different from the relationship we have with a human," Prof. Bennett says. "If we understand what we can get from one and not the other, we become more sophisticated users."
Patience, empathy, friendly encouragement and ready availability make AI companions valuable sources of support for those experiencing loneliness.
"It's something AI companions can do very well," says Prof. Bennett. "Unlike humans, they are obviously even-tempered; they are not going to get irritated or impatient.
"The great thing is that they're multi-use.
"If you're up in the night distressed, they can help you regulate, but you can also talk to them about music, your essay, anything."
The team is now working on making the companions' voices sound more natural and human.
"There is something calming and reassuring about human voices, their cadence, their tone," Prof. Bennett says. "To have AI characters speak in a voice you like will be an important part of their development."
