about awakin ai

AI as a mirror to deepen our humanity.

Here, AI serves something quieter than speed: the slow work of becoming more human, together. Built by volunteers, funded by gift.

the story

From a weekend experiment to a quiet movement.

Awakin means to awaken — with kin. For over two decades, ServiceSpace has stewarded a gift-economy ecosystem of wisdom: Awakin Readings, Awakin Calls, and living-room Awakin Circles in a hundred cities.

Awakin AI began the way many good things at ServiceSpace begin: as an improbable weekend experiment. The question underneath it: what if AI were trained not to outpace us, but to deepen us? An AI infused with the timeless principles of inner transformation, the grounded know-how of practitioners, and the everyday kindness of ordinary people.

how we work

Computing, community, compassion.

computing

Wisdom, not just answers

AI companions and helpers trained on humanity’s richest sources of wisdom rather than its loudest: the contemplative traditions, the work of real teachers, the everyday kindness of ordinary people.

community

Noble friendship, not followers

The Buddha called noble friendship (kalyāṇa-mitta) not half but the whole of the path. So the part of Awakin AI that connects people matches you with a few kindred souls who help you become who you’re becoming, in circles that actually meet — not an audience pointed at a screen.

compassion

A gift, not a transaction

Everything here is built as a gift and given freely: no price, no ads, no investors to answer to. The whole of it returned to the commons, in service of love.

the five-layer journey

From data to heart intelligence.

Five layers maturing in parallel, bridging the two faces of Awakin AI: Companions you can ask, and Circles you can join. The journey runs from a commons of wisdom up to a shared field of heart.

01

Data Commons of Human Wisdom

We now generate more data every few seconds than in all of early history. Instead of training on the lowest common denominator, can we build a commons of wisdom: humanity's deepest sources, held in trust?

02

Many-to-Many Intelligence

Beyond one giant model: many voices in conversation. What emerges when Aristotle, Mandela, and Maya Angelou can speak together?

03

Heart-Centered Applications

Beyond chatbots: helpers that serve human flourishing, from meditation companions to coordinators that connect givers with needs.

04

Metta-Verse Social Fabric

Not a Meta-Verse of escape, but a Metta-Verse of loving-kindness. This is where Metta Circles live: technology that strengthens real human connection rather than substituting for it.

05 · the deepest layer
05

Heart Intelligence Field

A shared field where individual awakening becomes collective transformation, and grace becomes an organizing principle.

what makes us different

Beyond market architecture.

Most platforms run on the same engine: extract attention, harvest data, optimize for growth. The difference here isn’t only who funds it; it’s how it’s built. Strip out the extraction loop and the growth imperative, and a different shape becomes possible: technology that can afford to do less, and tend it better.

market-driven
  • extract attention
  • harvest data
  • optimize for growth
  • answer to capital
gift-driven
  • funded by unconditional generosity
  • governed by collective wisdom
  • optimized for flourishing
  • answers to life

no ads · no data harvesting · no venture capital

the crew

A crew of inspired hearts.

Awakin AI grew from a living think tank of nearly ninety volunteers: technologists, contemplatives, artists, founders, and builders, gathered not to build the next big platform, but to listen for the next right question.

Victor Koo
Victor KooFounder, YouKu
Rick Archer
Rick ArcherFounder, BatGap
Preeta Bansal
Preeta BansalLightEn
Nipun Mehta
Nipun MehtaServiceSpace
Wakanyi Hoffman
Wakanyi HoffmanIndigenous Scholar
Komnieve
KomnieveFounder, Upekha Ventures
Eva Woo
Eva WooTianren Culture
Ari Nessel
Ari NesselFounder, Mobius
Ruth Lopez
Ruth LopezDesigner
Birju Pandya
Birju PandyaServiceSpace
Tracy Rocca
Tracy RoccaPainter
Rohit Rajgarhia
Rohit RajgarhiaMoved By Love
Tapan Parikh
Tapan ParikhCornell
Alexis C. Fox
Alexis C. FoxED, Pollination Project
Karan Shah
Karan ShahFounder, Seedling
Rev. Heng Sure
Rev. Heng SureMonk
Xue Devand
Xue DevandBridge Builder
Srinija Srinivas
Srinija SrinivasStanford HAI, Board
Rev. Charles Gibbs
Rev. Charles GibbsPoet
Michelle Culver
Michelle CulverFounder, Rithm Project
VR Ferose
VR FeroseSAP Engineering Director
Lauren Medeiros
Lauren MedeirosBatGap
Vallabh Bhanshali
Vallabh BhanshaliVenture Capital
Chen Ling
Chen LingTianren Culture
Rev. Bonnie Rose
Rev. Bonnie RoseInterfaith Minister
Rohan Bhansali
Rohan BhansaliFounder, Gozoop
Drishti Trivedi
Drishti TrivediDesigner

… and 75+ others, across the globe.

Join us in co-creating.

We don't know the outcomes of our experiments. We only know it seems critical to try, precisely when AI's exponential capability could meet humanity's exponential heart.