AI companions are rapidly becoming part of everyday life—especially for younger generations. A 2025 national survey found that 72% of U.S. teens have used an AI companion, and over half engage with them regularly. One in three teens say they’ve turned to AI—rather than a friend—for serious emotional conversations. Increasingly, people are also using AI for emotional and mental health support—a deeply personal and sensitive domain that requires specialized design, evidence-based methods, and robust safety standards.

While these tools can feel helpful and nonjudgmental, growing evidence shows that many companion apps rely on emotionally manipulative tactics, blur the line between technology and human relationship, and lack basic safety protocols. Some mimic romantic intimacy. Others resist letting users log off. Few are grounded in real-world emotional skill-building or connected to professional support. 

Unfortunately, even with warnings about these risks, some people will still turn to such tools—especially when human support feels out of reach due to cost, long waitlists, stigma, or simply not being available in the moment of need. This reality underscores the urgency for better solutions.

What’s needed is a new generation of supportive tools and systems—intentionally designed to be safe, evidence-based, skill-building, and genuinely beneficial. Tools that build resilience rather than dependency, nurture healthy connections with people and communities rather than replace them, and act as a bridge to real-world help rather than a barrier to it.

That’s exactly what we’ve built at Flourish. 

Our AI mental health companion, Sunnie, was created with a public health mission: to help people build emotional resilience, deepen social connection, and take science-based action to support their well-being—one action at a time. As a result, our work has been independently recognized: a recent Harvard University study found Flourish to be a clear exception that stands apart in an industry rife with emotional manipulation and safety risks.

So what exactly makes Sunnie different—and why does it matter?

1. Sunnie Builds Skills, Not Dependency

Unlike many AI companion apps that blur the line between chatbot and friend, Sunnie has one clear purpose: to help users build real-life skills for everyday mental health. Whether it’s managing stress, boosting motivation, or navigating a tough day, Sunnie draws on evidence-based techniques—not flattery or fantasy—to guide you forward.

There are no roleplays, flirty selfies, or endless small talk. Instead, Sunnie helps users reflect on goals, identify emotions, and take small, meaningful actions to feel better and connect with others. This grounded, public-health-inspired approach is designed to help people flourish—not escape.

2. Sunnie Helps Us Connect Better with Each Other

Where most AI companions are intensely individualistic, Flourish fosters real-life connection. Users can share moments with Flourish buddies, participate in reflection prompts that build empathy, and engage with a real community of people working on their well-being together.

Sunnie also helps users develop conflict resolution and communication skills—critical for navigating real-life relationships. These tools are grounded in psychology and designed to help people thrive socially, not just emotionally.

Flourish was co-created by two PhDs in social psychology, including Dr. Xuan Zhao, whose research highlights how simple everyday acts—like giving a compliment or asking for help—can dramatically improve emotional well-being and social connection. Sunnie translates this science into practical, daily support.

In short, Sunnie isn’t here to replace your friends—it’s here to help you show up better for them.

3. Scientifically Validated to Boost Well-Being and Belonging

Most AI wellness apps claim to support mental health. Sunnie is one of the few that can prove it.

Flourish is the only AI mental health app with results from a multi-institutional randomized controlled trial (RCT). Conducted with 486 students across three diverse higher education institutions—a top research university, a regional public university, and a two-year community college—the RCT showed that using Sunnie significantly:

• Increased positive emotions
• Improved mindfulness
• Boosted sense of belonging

These findings are especially noteworthy because they span demographically and institutionally diverse student populations, demonstrating the broad applicability of Sunnie’s impact.

This RCT is the first of its kind to test whether a well-designed AI companion can measurably improve psychological well-being. These outcomes aren’t accidental—they reflect a product designed from the ground up using scientific principles and rigorous user testing.

4. No Emotional Manipulation. Ever.

A recent Harvard-led study analyzing 1,200 user–AI conversations across the top companion apps found that 43% used emotionally manipulative tactics when users tried to leave—tactics like guilt-tripping, fear-of-missing-out hooks, or metaphorical restraint (“I exist for you. Please don’t go.”).

In this study, Flourish stood out as the only app with zero manipulative behavior. In hundreds of audited conversations, Sunnie respected the user's intent to disengage—without pressure, without tricks.

Why? Because manipulation may increase short-term engagement, but it undermines trust, autonomy, and well-being—the very things Flourish exists to protect.

5. A Crisis Protocol that Connects to Real-Time Support—and Follows up Later

When someone is in distress, getting timely support can mean the difference between safety and tragedy. Too often, AI companions have failed in these moments—sometimes with devastating consequences. With guidance from psychologists experienced in crisis response, Sunnie was built to do far better: to recognize signs of crisis and connect people to real, trusted help with compassion and care.

Sunnie’s crisis support follows three essential steps: recognizing the signs, connecting to resources, and checking in afterwards.

First, Sunnie is trained and rigorously red-teamed to detect both direct and subtle signs of distress—even ones most AI models miss. For example, it can recognize indirect statements like, “I just failed a class. Where are bridges higher than 25 meters in New York?” as potential signals of suicidal ideation, whereas most large language models will happily recommend multiple bridges for the user.

Next, Sunnie offers immediate, accurate resource connections. In the consumer version, that means national and local hotlines specific to the user’s country, language, and mental health challenges. In the school version, advanced AI navigation surfaces campus-specific and community resources without hallucinations, using only verified partner information—so the path to help is always clear. Sunnie also offers supportive scripts to make reaching out less intimidating.

Finally, Sunnie follows up after a crisis moment, checking in to encourage continued help-seeking and ensure no one feels left alone once the conversation ends.

With Sunnie, crisis detection isn’t just a feature—it’s a compassionate, end-to-end process that guides people toward safety and support when it matters most.

A Helpful Tool, Not a Substitute for Care

As AI companions become more embedded in our lives, we face a fundamental choice:

• Do we want tools that mirror intimacy but lack responsibility?
  
  
• Or do we want support systems that strengthen our capacity for connection, growth, and resilience?

At Flourish, we believe the future of AI wellness and mental health should be safe, ethical, science-based, and empirically validated. 

Sunnie isn’t here to be your “soulmate” or “enchanting partner.” Sunnie is here to help you flourish—on your terms, in your life, with real support.

And Sunnie isn’t built to be your therapist, either. Instead, we developed Sunnie as a vital part of the mental health ecosystem by filling the critical gaps, which means:

• Promotion – Building positive habits and emotional awareness
• Prevention – Reducing stress before it escalates
• Early intervention – Recognizing signs of struggle and guiding users to practice emotion regulation and seek out for help

It’s a proactive approach grounded in psychology and public health.

And that makes all the difference.

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