[NE Coffee Chat] "Would You Like to Tell Me What's on Your Mind?"... HelpTeacher, the AI Counselor You Can Meet Anywhere

AI Counseling Service Trained on 13 Resources
Kyungmin Lee of HelpTeacher Shares Vision
Expanding Nationwide to Seoul, Gwangju, and Beyond

Can artificial intelligence (AI) provide comfort? While this question was once difficult to answer, many people today respond with a resounding "yes." We now live in an era where people feel a greater sense of intimacy with AI than with humans and are willing to confide their innermost thoughts to machines. Kyungmin Lee, CEO of HelpTeacher, believes that if everyone could access AI counseling rooms anytime and anywhere, it would help resolve both major and minor incidents in society stemming from depression.

Kyungmin Lee, CEO of HelpTeacher. HelpTeacher

On August 28, Lee said, "At first, I wondered, 'Who would share their concerns with AI? Would this even work?' But we received a lot of feedback saying that people found it easier to open up to AI than to humans, and that being able to access counseling 24 hours a day, anywhere, was actually more economical." HelpTeacher, which previously offered AI services that automatically handled repetitive school administrative work, is now focusing on AI counseling services for adolescents. This shift comes from a sense of crisis that the risk to adolescent mental health in today’s depression-ridden society has reached a critical point.

Lee explained, "A school is like a microcosm of society, where every social issue is condensed and played out. Children at developmental stages, whose hormones fluctuate irregularly, are particularly vulnerable to anxiety and depression, so extra attention must be paid to their mental health."

When entering HelpTeacher's AI counseling room, which is just about one square meter in size, visitors find a large screen and a chair. After entering some basic personal information, an AI counselor appears on the screen. The session begins with a voice asking, "Would you like to share what's on your mind?" The AI counselor turns its head and moves its eyes to follow the client’s gaze, creating the feeling of a real face-to-face conversation. Once the session is complete, the results are sent via private message. If the risk of depression is found to be high, the results are also forwarded to medical professionals to ensure systematic follow-up. Lee explained, "AI counseling records accumulate like a personal portfolio, allowing us to see each individual's concerns and mental health status at a glance."

Interior view of HelpTeacher's AI counseling room. HelloTeacher

The AI counselor interacts with clients based on professional counseling manuals. HelpTeacher’s AI counseling system has been trained on 13 sources, including papers officially certified by the American Psychological Association and school response manuals from the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education and the Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education. The more clients the system interacts with, the more data it gathers, enabling it to provide higher-quality counseling. HelpTeacher’s AI counseling rooms are being installed nationwide, including at the Seoul Metropolitan Seongbuk Youth Center and the National Sejong Arboretum.

Lee recalled, "I remember a woman in her 50s who said she had no one to talk to, but just sitting down and sharing her worries brought her great comfort. My goal is to make AI counseling rooms accessible to everyone, anytime and anywhere."

Recently, HelpTeacher has expanded its target audience beyond adolescents to include groups more prone to depression, such as soldiers, the elderly, and people with disabilities. The lack of specialized personnel to manage individual mental health in isolated environments is not just an issue for adolescents. Lee noted, "I heard that in the military, there is only one specialized counselor for every several thousand soldiers. If you only respond after an incident occurs, it’s too late. Regular management through AI counseling rooms is essential." She added, "I hope HelpTeacher grows into a company that has a positive impact on our society and helps make it healthier."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.