What Awakin AI is, how the voices work, and how to bring your own. If something's still unclear, just ask.
Awakin AI is a part of the ServiceSpace ecosystem, focused on creating technological solutions that amplify a culture of humane values around the world.
Shortly after the release of ChatGPT 3.5, ServiceSpace introduced a "small language model" to provide a wisdom-driven perspective on AI innovation. The first outcome of this effort was the Compassion companion, trained on hundreds of thousands of values-based documents curated by a large community of dedicated volunteers. Try the Compassion companion.
Following the success of the Compassion companion, we launched a user-friendly portal for various wisdom content owners to create their own companions to serve the community. We host over 100 AI models, covering diverse areas of inner transformation, outer service, and collective consciousness — heart intelligence.
When asked the same question, here is what the Compassion companion said :) ... "The key differences between Awakin AI and ChatGPT lie in their guiding principles and objectives. Awakin AI is designed to promote empathy, compassion, and understanding in its interactions. It aims to foster positive and supportive conversations, often focusing on emotional well-being and inner transformation. ChatGPT, on the other hand, is a general-purpose conversational model designed to generate human-like text based on the input it receives. It can answer questions, write essays, summarize texts, and more, but does not have the specific values focus that Awakin AI and the Compassion companion have."
Across thousands of use cases, we have observed significant differences between traditional GPT models and companions powered by Awakin AI.
ServiceSpace is a volunteer-run organization that began 25 years ago in the heart of Silicon Valley. Its projects range widely, from an online good-news portal to a peer-learning "Pod" platform, as well as offline initiatives like the Karma Kitchen restaurant, Awakin Circles held in living rooms, and Moved by Love retreats. ServiceSpace reaches millions of users every month but operates strictly without monetization, commercialization, or solicitation. From the Dalai Lama to President Obama, its unique operating principles have garnered many awards and accolades.
We aim to keep wisdom voices alive in a world increasingly overwhelmed with information. We want to achieve this in three ways:
Build a data commons: In 2003, we produced more information in one year than from the beginning of civilization; today, we produce that much information every 15 minutes. We will continue expanding our repository of wisdom and thought leadership, while also incorporating oral traditions (such as those of indigenous cultures) and previously uncaptured data (like heart coherence). By making such data freely available, we hope humanity can more easily build upon this foundation.
Build unique applications: It took TV 65 years to reach 100 million users, but it took ChatGPT just two months. Such rapid acceleration tends to follow the path of least resistance, often automating the status quo. To explore alternative paths, we are building a decelerator, Shunya Labs, in hopes of charting new ways forward. As chat interfaces evolve into more agentic AI that can process information and make decisions, we need to ask different questions. For example, we are envisioning a Service Agent that connects our innate instinct for service with meaningful needs in the community.
Cultivate a new social operating system: The recent history of technology is filled with examples of solutions that have had unintended consequences. This is a clarion call for deeper wisdom to navigate these uncharted territories. As E.O. Wilson put it, "We have paleolithic emotions, medieval institutions, and godlike technology." In this emerging landscape, it's not only important to develop wisdom-based intelligences but also to reimagine how we come together as humanity and build a collective field of emergence. The rise of AI, AGI, and ASI invites us to step more deeply into our potential, not just individually but in ways that ignite collective heart intelligence.
All Awakin companions are designed to generate contextual answers through our "small language model" approach. Imagine asking a stranger about meditation—your chances of getting a meaningful response are much better at a monastery than at a football game. Similarly, Awakin companions aim to balance the breadth of a "large language model" with the specificity of contextual data.
A core feature of our AI is its foundation in ServiceSpace values — everything is offered as a gift, without commercial intent, advertising, or solicitation. This approach removes any manipulative or extractive elements.
For users, there are several unique features, including:
For hosts, there are also several unique features, including:
We host three types of companions:
The list of benefits is endless, but here are some basic possibilities:
Sure thing. Here are a few early examples and queries:
Fifty years ago, a short Indian woman named Dipa Ma told Sharon Salzberg, "You will teach one day." Sharon replied, "No I won't." After some discussion, her teacher said, "You understand suffering — that's why you should teach." Sharon has been teaching ever since, and SharonBot now contains all her content for you to explore. Nina once asked a question you wouldn't typically ask at a meditation retreat: "How do you make a souffle?" It received a classic Sharon response! Other queries included: "What do you do when you're confused and have to make a decision?" and "How do you let go of a friend?" or "Respond in Chinese: how can I grow my heart?"
Stepping into Gandhi's shoes was no easy task, but Vinoba did it with grace. The elders of the movement gifted us Vinoba's books, which we compiled into a VinobaBot. People have asked questions like: "Can you share 3 bullet points about your life lessons?" "Isn't becoming a 'servant' demeaning?" "Describe your life in a poem." Other questions included Vinoba's views on scale, on money, and "Is there any selfless act if we feel good while giving?" You can even ask him what he thought about Gandhi.
For 15+ years, Rick's "BatGap" (Buddha at the Gas Pump) community has shared stories of "ordinary friends and neighbors experiencing spiritual awakenings." Now, all of that wisdom is accessible through an interactive the BatGap companion. After decades of asking questions to spiritual people, Rick threw in a curveball: "What would the Buddha think about this companion and the possibility that future versions of ChatGPT could lead to human extinction?" Here was the response. :)
Aidyn took a practical approach with the Compassion companion, asking, "Should I rent or buy?" The answer was radically different from ChatGPT's response. Bonnie pushed AI to self-reflect by asking, "Does AI have consciousness?" :) Other examples include questions like: "What should I do if my values don't align with my job?" or Rohit's surprising request: "Can you write a poem to a first grader about being mindful while playing computer games?"
Most hosts send an email to their communities with details such as:
For extra credit, :) you can create your own companion guide, like this BatGap Bot Guide.
"Content companions" are ideal for authors, thought leaders, and influencers with a large volume of content. To get your companion up and running, you need two things:
Hosts are required to upload only material that they have the rights to.
If any of the uploaded content is used to formulate a response, it will be cited as a source. The host can choose to link this source to (a) the original material, (b) an alternate link, or (c) keep the source entirely private.
Additionally, hosts retain full control of their content throughout the companion's existence. They can delete any material at any time, and it will no longer be used in future responses.
All ServiceSpace offerings are provided as a gift by volunteers, and they will always remain that way. This has been part of the ServiceSpace guiding principles for the past 25 years.
However, each companion requires an "OpenAI Key," which incurs a nominal fee for usage — roughly a penny for every couple of queries. This fee is paid directly to OpenAI. A good metaphor: ServiceSpace is gifting you the house, but you cover the cost of electricity directly with the utility provider.
All AI solutions combine four approaches: prompt engineering, RAG (retrieval augmented generation), fine-tuning, and pre-training.
Awakin AI uses a combination of pre-trained Large Language Models (LLMs) and Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) to find a balance between broadly-based Generative AI and contextually-sensitive Retrieval AI, leveraging semantic search.
While LLMs are useful for tasks like completing sentences and translating languages, RAG optimizes those outputs to align with the nuances of an authoritative knowledge base. For instance, GPT-4's response to "what is more ethical — to rent or buy?" might be quite vague, whereas the Compassion companion's response provides much more nuance.
For specific use cases, we are also experimenting with fine-tuning models. As pre-trained models become smaller, more efficient, and less costly, we plan to explore training an LLM from scratch, focusing on human-centered values.
For a fuller look under the hood, see how it works.
We'd love to hear your proposal. Simply fill out this form, and we'll get back to you.
We evaluate proposals based on three core criteria:
If you have an innovative idea for using AI within the ServiceSpace framework, we'd love to hear about it!
Just fill out this form, and our team will evaluate your proposal and get back to you.
If you have any questions or want to explore ways to volunteer, please drop us a note anytime!
Some questions deserve a person, not a page. Reach out, or simply begin with a voice and see what comes back.