Sonny is a “wellbeing partner” that was created by a startup, Sonar Mental Health (19459011), to help school districts support the mental health and wellbeing of their students. Sonny, a chatbot described in the Wall Street Journal (19459011), is a combination of AI and human staff. Sonny is a chatbot that uses AI to suggest answers for students who text questions. However, it is humans who are ultimately responsible. Sonar’s first school partnership was signed in January 2024. It is now available to over 4,500 middle and secondary school students across nine districts. The company claims that the chats are monitored by a group of six people who have backgrounds in psychology, social services, and crisis-line assistance.
CEO Drew Barvir said to the Journal that Sonar staffers would work with schools and families to find therapists when appropriate. This approach may be attractive to school districts because of the current shortage of counselors. According to the Education Department, 17% high schools do not have any counselors.
