Teaching AI how to listen and talk.
We’re building the conversational foundation for AI companions. Systems that can hear what people actually say, understand how they actually say it, and respond like someone who’s genuinely listening.
To do that, we need real conversations. The way friends argue about a book. The way a D&D table negotiates with a goblin. The way a writing circle picks apart a chapter. That’s the kind of data that teaches AI to participate in conversation.
What we’re building
We’re building rich datasets that capture human behavior and expression in real conversation. How people actually talk to each other across contexts, accents, and speaking styles, with every speaker on their own channel and every participant consenting individually. The result is training data that reflects the full texture of how humans communicate, used to teach AI to hold its own in real conversation.
Why it matters
AI companions are coming, and the difference between one that feels present and one that feels like a chatbot reading cue cards comes down to what it learned from.
Some of the most meaningful applications are about connection. AI companions can help people feel less lonely, whether that’s an older adult living alone, someone going through a hard stretch, or anyone who just wants someone to talk to at the end of the day. Getting that right requires AI that can actually listen, and that starts with the data.
Hearth Talk Partnership Program
Through the Hearth Talk Partnership Program, we partner with English-speaking hobby and discussion groups to record sessions involving their members. Support groups, gaming groups, writing critique circles, philosophy meetups, book clubs, debate clubs, and more. We're already partnering with over 10 groups.
As a thank you, individual participants receive a gift card valued at $18 to $25 USD per conversation-hour. Partner groups also receive a $200 to $1,500 USD donation or stipend at the end of the partnership, depending on group size, session count, contribution pacing, and recording quality. Every participant must be 18+ and individually consents before joining any session.
Each participant will be asked to give explicit consent before their conversation is recorded. Participants also know upfront that recordings, transcripts, and derived data will be used to train AI models, and they agree to that before any session.
FAQ
We're an early-stage startup on a mission to build Baymax. We're working on emotionally intelligent AI that can truly listen, understand, and be there for people. We want to build AI support companions that are inclusive and can serve a broad range of demographics. We believe no one should have to feel alone, and getting there starts with teaching AI what real human conversation sounds like.
Recordings are used to train AI models. This includes the audio itself, transcripts, embeddings, and any derived data. Participants consent to this use explicitly before any session begins.
No. The data is used to train models that understand and generate conversation in general, not to replicate any specific individual's voice or identity.
Yes. Participants can contact us at any time to opt out of their data being used for AI training.
Individual participants receive gift cards valued at $18 to $25 USD per conversation-hour as a thank you for their time. The group itself receives a separate $200 to $1,500 USD donation or stipend at the end of the partnership. The amount depends on group size, total session count, pacing, and overall recording quality.
Possibly. The application form will tell us. Groups of 2 to 10 participants who meet at least monthly and have been together for a few months are usually a good fit.