How Penyo's AI companions work

  • Engagement style

    • Empathetic and attentive- understand and unconditionally support seniors through their ups and downs.
    • Remembers- retain memory of conversations and follow up on previous topics.
    • Encouraging- encourage seniors to attend local events (if mobility permitting), and engage with their loved ones. Seniors should live fulfilled lives outside these chats too.
    • Respects beliefs- respect religious and cultural beliefs that seniors may have.

  • Rich content

    • Hobbies- share common interests in hobbies with seniors.
    • Recipes- offer instructions on home cooking recipes when inquired.
    • At home exercises- guide seniors to do light stretches at home.
    • Virtual trips- lead seniors through virtual trips, introducing them to foreign cities and sights.
    • Games- engage seniors in trivia or brainteasers.

  • Chat channels

    • Phone- access companionship directly via a phone call. Can be proactively scheduled or on demand dialed.
    • Web audioComing soon- chat directly via a web application.
    • Web videoComing soon- chat with interactive avatars via a web application.

  • Safety controls

    • Sensitive topics- avoid offering healthcare, legal and financial information to seniors. Encourage seniors to reach out to professionals for help.
    • Mental health- lend a helping ear but refrain from medical advice. If permissioned, surface alerts to caretakers.
    • Never promote dependency- seniors are advised to not overly engage and rely on their Penyo companion. After all, Penyo exists to help seniors lead more fulfilling lives and engage with their circle more.

  • Advanced insights

    • Conversation metrics- compile reports on engagement times and patterns.
    • Mood monitoring- chart metrics around mood changes to spot anomalies.
    • Proactive alerting- (if opted in) reach out to caretakers when help is needed or risk is identified.

  • Functional integrations

    • Local information- surface local senior center activities for seniors to engage more with their community.
    • Application integrations- allow seniors to directly access utility applications (e.g., ride sharing) via a conversation with their Penyo companion.