A couples therapist was too expensive. They used AI to create their own.
USA TODAY
Post-pandemic life proved challenging for Daniel Fountenberry's marriage. But as couples therapy bills added up, he turned to AI instead.
Daniel Fountenberry met his wife during COVID-19 lockdowns. A year later, they were married with a kid on the way.
Still in the “discovery" phase of the relationship, as Fountenberry calls it, they decided to seek couples therapy to better navigate the new marriage.
But the price tag on each session was jarring – in-person couples therapy sessions in the United States can range from $100 to $300 per hour, according to the Cerebral Institute. While looking for a therapist, Fountenberry saw some charging as much as $350 for a single 50-minute session.
The experience itself was exhausting. He often felt unheard by the therapist in sessions, or that just as he got to the precipice of an issue, the session time was up.
Fountenberry began working in AI and educational technology in 2020, and confided his grievances about couples therapy in another friend who worked in tech. He decided that he needed a different intervention − not another therapist. He had the idea to create a “neutral referee,” an AI model that could help people understand and change their behaviors.
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