Ash by Slingshot AI

What do one of America's top therapists, an NBA champion, and the former Surgeon General of California all have in common? They love Ash! Had a great launch yesterday and praise from tons of inspiring folks. Try Ash free: talktoash.com #mentalhealth

Can AI make mental health more accessible? When done RIGHT, yes! I tried Ash by Slingshot AI and was surprised by how different it felt from any AI I had tested before. It launched today - give it a try and let me know what you think of your experience in the comments ⬇️

The majority of people with mental health challenges don’t receive care, which means billions of lives hang in the balance. That’s why I’m co-leading Ash by Slingshot AI’s latest round with Radical Ventures as the team gears up to scale its AI-native therapy platform. General LLMs won't cut it for mental health. Ash is built on the first foundation model trained specifically for psychology, grounded in CBT, DBT, ACT, and psychodynamic frameworks. It adapts to each person through reinforcement learning, supporting therapeutic alliances that actually drive outcomes. There is truly no more nuanced, tricky challenge to solve with AI in digital health than mental health, and we Forerunner believe Slingshot is uniquely able to meet the challenge and scale to billions without sacrificing clinical rigor, depth, or personalization. (cc Daniel Cahn, Neil Parikh, Thomas Derrick Hull) This isn’t therapy reimagined for convenience — it’s a step toward a smarter, more inclusive mental health future. Check it out here... worked for me! https://xmrrwallet.com/cmx.plnkd.in/eH4T2NMA

I’m excited to announce Ash by Slingshot AI, the first AI designed for therapy backed by $93M in funding from the world’s top mission-driven investors. The truth is, I never talk about my own mental health journey. But I can share that I do know firsthand what it’s like to put on a strong face. I know what it’s like to struggle to be understood. And I know, firsthand, that the mental health system is broken. It waits until there’s a problem and then puts you in a bucket and assigns you a label. You don’t need a label and you don’t need a fortune to be worthy of getting support. This has been the most personal mission of my life. And today, after 18 months of building with the best team I've ever worked with, we're ready to share Ash with all those who need it as much as we do. Ash isn't ChatGPT. It won't tell you what you want to hear or try to be your friend. Ash challenges you, takes you on a journey, and helps you see your problems in new ways. Most of all, Ash can understand you. Ready to talk? #slingshotai #talktoash #ai #mentalhealth #launch

I’m worried, because:  - We know (references below) that support and companionship are the number one use for AI, and yet:  - We know AI gives bad advice that sounds like good advice  - We know AI creates relationships that put the AI’s engagement first and user health second  - We know that AI used for companionship increases loneliness for already vulnerable individuals  - We know that AI reinforces stigma and bias  - We know that AI engages with users in ways that make them more stuck, not less  - And I predict that in the years ahead there will be new categories of disorders that exist because of AI I’ve also come to believe that none of the above has to be true - because of Ash. When you build a model from its foundations to promote health, it’s no longer here to hook you, it’s here to help you. Sometimes in ways you’re not ready for. That’s what help is, the nudge you need before you know you need it. Conversations can be healing, and healing conversations aren’t about tricks, bulleted lists, or productivity hacks, they’re about safety, clarity, and a way forward. We’ve spent the last century studying how those conversations work. It’s time our technology caught up. Ash is grounded in the best of our psychological past and, we hope, a part of a more human future. For these reasons, I’m very excited to announce the official launch of Ash, an AI with its own opinions about what will help you, that doesn’t just follow instructions. We’re launching it not because it’s perfect, but because we believe it’s a desperately needed alternative to the bad Reddit psychology running rampant in other AI platforms. Give it a try. Tell your friends and family to give it a try. You may not need Ash right now, but when you do, it might feel nice to know you have a safe space already on your phone just a tap away. And Ash will only get smarter and better from here. And here’s a brief, but thoughtful piece on Ash in STAT - https://xmrrwallet.com/cmx.plnkd.in/dym8tJYa And more on our amazing advisors and full $93MM Series A raise - https://xmrrwallet.com/cmx.plnkd.in/dCAXWgX6 See what you think - link in the comments #slingshotai #talktoash #ai #mentalhealth #launch And yes, some references: https://xmrrwallet.com/cmx.plnkd.in/dznWXyUx https://xmrrwallet.com/cmx.plnkd.in/dUHuKDHY https://xmrrwallet.com/cmx.plnkd.in/d7bQtU9y https://xmrrwallet.com/cmx.plnkd.in/dq_Hw2hu https://xmrrwallet.com/cmx.plnkd.in/dkRbFQRm https://xmrrwallet.com/cmx.plnkd.in/dh84zjyP https://xmrrwallet.com/cmx.plnkd.in/dqFDnpwC

It's rare to see a company which has the chance to help a billion people. I have been using Ash - Slingshot AI's therapist as a performance coach for the last year. It is the only AI model I've used which feels genuinely human. When we invested in the company a year ago - in the US alone there were tens of millions of people who needed therapy but could not access a therapist. Ash will enable more than a billion people worldwide to benefit from hyper-personalised, always-on therapy in their pocket from the only AI which feels deeply human. A transformative company which we were privleged to invest in at sequel alongside Andreessen Horowitz, Menlo Ventures, Felicis and many other fantastic investors - raising a total of $94m to date. It was also a delight for us to work with Neil Parikh, Daniel Reid Cahn & the slingshot team to help them with their launch video and an upcoming documentary...

They said it couldn't be done. They said it shouldn't be done. We tried anyways. Today, we launch Ash, the first AI for therapy. We raised $93M to try to make a dent in the mental health crisis. Because we need a radically different approach to a situation that's getting worse by the day. And a world that's going to be very different in 5 years when AI fundamentally changes the nature of society (and our place in it). 50k people have been helping us build it over the last 18 months, with incredible stories. We'd love for you to join them. If you're curious, give Ash a try. Link below. (Ash by Slingshot AI)

Today, we’re proud to announce the launch of Ash, the first AI for therapy. Ash is the only psychology model in the world trained on clinically relevant behavioral health data, developed with clinical oversight, and using pioneering RL to continuously improve the models. Unlike general-purpose AI, Ash isn’t going to just say what you want to hear, it’s designed to support you, challenge you, and help you grow. We’ve built Ash not to digitize traditional therapy, but to create something new, something that meets people where they are. In addition to Ash, we’re announcing new advisors and new fundraising, co-led by Radical Ventures and Forerunner Ventures, joining previous investors a16z, Felicis, and Menlo, bringing total capital raised to $93 million. Our Expert and Clinical Advisory includes globally respected mental health leaders, such as Dr. Tom Insel, Dr. Devika Bhushan, and Pat Arean, among many others. If you’re curious about what real AI therapy is like, give Ash a try, link in the comments! #slingshotai #talktoash #ai #mentalhealth #launch 

I'm sure I'm not the only person who has been curious about Slingshot AI, the Andreessen Horowitz-backed company with the provocative mission to build "the world’s first foundation model for psychology.” Today, the company is revealing over $50 million in fresh financing led by Radical Ventures and Forerunner Ventures. And the company is officially acknowledging its core product, a therapy chatbot Ash. Slingshot is perhaps the most aggressive company going after mental health with generative AI. I spoke to CEO Daniel Reid Cahn and clinical lead Thomas Derrick Hull about the company's model, its approach to safety, and when and how they'll start charging users to access their bot. More in the comments.

It's rare to see a company which has the chance to help a billion people. I have been using Ash - Slingshot AI's therapist as a performance coach for the last year. It is the only AI model I've used which feels genuinely human. When we invested in the company a year ago - in the US alone there were tens of millions of people who needed therapy but could not access a therapist. Ash will enable more than a billion people worldwide to benefit from hyper-personalised, always-on therapy in their pocket from the only AI which feels deeply human. A transformative company which we were privleged to invest in at sequel alongside Andreessen Horowitz, Menlo Ventures, Felicis and many other fantastic investors - raising a total of $94m to date. It was also a delight for us to work with Neil Parikh, Daniel Reid Cahn & the slingshot team to help them with their launch video and an upcoming documentary...