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ASPIRETalk to ASPIRE

ASPIRE | Future

The conversation is human.The future may be hybrid.

Human first. Curious about what's next.

Human conversation remains at the heart of what we do.

At the same time, the way people communicate is changing. People already talk to AI about work, relationships, difficult decisions, emotions, life changes and things they may not immediately share with another person.

We find this development fascinating.

We do not see AI as a replacement for human conversation. We want to understand how human conversation and technology can strengthen each other.

The context

Conversation and technology are already converging.

  • The WHO Commission on Social Connection reports that 1 in 6 people worldwide is affected by loneliness, linked to an estimated 100 deaths every hour. [WHO, 2025]
  • A 2026 Pew Research Center study found that 12% of U.S. teens say they have gotten emotional support from chatbots. [Pew Research Center, 2026]
  • The American Psychological Association notes that millions of people globally are using general-purpose generative AI chatbots and wellness apps to address unmet mental health needs. [APA, 2025]

Questions we want to explore

  • When do people prefer talking to another human?
  • When can AI make it easier to start talking?
  • Do people share different things with AI than with another person?
  • Can an AI conversation or digital intake help prepare for a human conversation?
  • When should technology step aside and a human take over?
  • And what makes a conversation truly helpful?

We don't believe the future of counseling is simply human or artificial.

We believe the interesting question is how human conversation and technology can work together — while keeping human wellbeing at the centre.

Human first. Curious about what's next.

Future pilot

Human × AI Conversation Pilot.

An exploration for the future. ASPIRE does not offer AI therapy or an AI therapist.

In the future we may experiment with three ways to begin a conversation:

Human

A conversation with a real person.

AI

A clearly identified AI conversation or avatar, designed for reflection, orientation or an initial conversation.

Human × AI

Technology can help someone begin, reflect or prepare — followed by a human conversation when appropriate.

We may explore AI avatars, conversational AI and eventually physical and social robotics as part of this research.

The purpose is not to replace people. The purpose is to learn:

What helps people talk?What makes a conversation useful?And where can technology genuinely help?

What are people carrying?

Sometimes people don't need another programme.Sometimes they need a conversation.

People carry work pressure, relationships, grief, ambition, uncertainty, responsibility, loneliness, change, family, leadership and questions about life.

ASPIRE makes that conversation possible. Technology can make it reach further.

A learning platform

Understanding the bigger picture.

As ASPIRE grows, we want to understand the wider picture of human conversation — always privacy-first.

  • Number of conversations
  • Human, AI or hybrid preference
  • Recurring broad conversation themes
  • When people seek conversation
  • Whether people return
  • When people move from AI to a human conversation
  • What makes a conversation useful
  • Growth in participating organisations and users

Individual counseling conversations remain confidential. Employers can never see what an individual employee discussed.

Any future insight or dashboard uses only anonymous, aggregated information, with appropriate consent.

Future concept — ASPIRE Wellbeing Pulse

Broad wellbeing themes, never individual people.

Work pressure
↑
Life transitions
↑
Leadership pressure
↑
Grief & loss
→
Human conversations
68%
AI conversations
21%
Hybrid
11%

These numbers are illustrative only — a future concept visualisation, not ASPIRE data.

Research now

Avatars in counseling are already being studied.

  • Avatar-based cognitive therapy for depression has been tested in randomized trials, with researchers measuring changes in dysfunctional beliefs and symptoms. [Nature Scientific Reports, 2025]
  • Avatar-based psychotherapy pilots show that a therapeutic relationship can form even when the conversation is mediated by a digital figure. [JMIR Human Factors, 2025]
  • Embodied conversational agents are being developed for process-based psychotherapy, sleep disorders and rehabilitation, often to extend access where human resources are scarce. [ETH Zurich / ACM / Frontiers, 2025–2026]
  • Systematic reviews of AI-driven conversational agents suggest they can improve mental health outcomes, particularly among young people. [JMIR, 2025]
  • Researchers are also studying avatar-mediated telepsychotherapy inside virtual environments, asking how presence, anonymity and non-verbal cues shape the experience. [JMIR, 2026]

Research & collaboration

Let's explore what comes next.

We are interested in conversations with researchers, universities, counselors, organizations and technology partners exploring the future of communication, counseling and human–AI interaction.

Partner as a counselorContact for research & collaboration

The conversation is human.The future may be hybrid.

ASPIRE — Wellbeing for humanity.