BEN Partners with Valio Technologies to Develop AI Assistants to Support University Students’ Mental Health

Rhea-AI Summary

Brand Engagement Network (Nasdaq: BNAI) has announced a partnership with Valio Technologies to develop AI assistants aimed at supporting the mental health of university students in South Africa. Through Valio’s eYakho Health platform, the initiative plans to impact over 600,000 students across more than a dozen universities. These AI assistants will offer conversational, human-like support, helping students find mental health resources and treatment options. This collaboration seeks to address significant mental health challenges faced by students and aims to integrate AI solutions across South Africa's 503 post-school educational institutions. Currently, about 20% of South African university students require mental health assistance. BEN’s privacy-focused AI aims to provide reliable, empathetic engagement while protecting student information.

AI assistants will provide conversational, human-modeled mental health resource to students at over one dozen universities in South Africa

JACKSON, Wyo., June 26, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Brand Engagement Network (BEN), (Nasdaq: BNAI), an emerging provider of safe, personalized customer engagement AI, and Valio Technologies (Valio), a pan-African company focused on developing disruptive enterprise-grade technology solutions, today announced a partnership aimed at developing healthcare AI assistants that will support the mental health of students at universities across South Africa.

BEN is working with Valio to support Valio’s mission of creating ground-breaking technologies that minimize many of the problems that afflict the African continent and can provide support to over 600,000 university students across the country. Leveraging BEN’s safe, conversational, human-modeled AI avatars, Valio’s eYakho Health platform will support student mental health at over one dozen universities in South Africa. Valio’s eYakho Health platform is Africa’s largest eHealth network and will provide the necessary information and best practices to train BEN’s AI assistants to handle sensitive mental health queries from students and provide a human-like resource that students can leverage for support and to find mental health treatment and therapy options.

“Our mission at Valio Technologies is to lead Africa into the Fourth Industrial Revolution by creating groundbreaking technologies that address significant challenges,” said Lefentse Nokaneng, CEO and Founder at Valio Technologies. “Partnering with BEN and integrating its advanced AI assistants into our platform is crucial to ensuring better mental health outcomes for South African and African students.”

“I have been working with Valio since its inception and their commitment to advancing mental health care through innovative AI solutions is critical,” said Bheki Twala, Professor of DVC (Digital Transformation) at Tshwane University. “Our partnership with BEN and South African universities will enable us to provide students with a secure digital environment where they can seek mental health support without fear of stigma.”

The partnership aims to deploy BEN’s AI assistants across South Africa's 503 registered post-school education and training institutions, encompassing public universities, private higher education institutions, technical and vocational education colleges, private colleges, and community education and training colleges. According to research by Universities South Africa (USAf) up to 20 percent of South African university students require mental health assistance.

“Despite the current gap between expectations and reality, generative AI holds significant potential as a dependable solution for improving healthcare and mental health treatment access,” said Paul Chang, Co-CEO of BEN. “Our privacy-focused AI assistants fulfill AI’s unmet promises, reliably engaging users in a conversational and empathetic way that protects student-patient information and alleviates some of the burden placed on overextended healthcare professionals.”

For more information about BEN please visit: http://www.beninc.ai.

About BEN

Brand Engagement Network (BEN), NASDAQ: BNAI, is an emerging provider of safe and secure generative AI for businesses and consumers, headquartered in Jackson, WY. BEN’s full-stack platform, encompassing front-end, middleware, and back-end, is scalable, customizable, and can be fully optimized for superior CX, productivity, and performance. The backbone of BENs success is its rich portfolio of conversational AI applications, featuring 16+ perception, understanding and response modules that facilitate human-like engagements with consumers. BEN seeks to deploy scalable and sustainable AI solutions to businesses and partner with those with complimentary capabilities and networks in industries experiencing significant workforce gaps. In line with the vision of an AI-enhanced world, BEN strives to bring AI assistants to everyone who can benefit from them.

Additional information about BEN can be found here: https://beninc.ai/

About Valio Technologies
Valio (Technologies Pty Ltd) is a Pan-African technology company specializing in the development of disruptive enterprise blockchain, Robotic Process Automation (RPA), and Artificial Intelligence solutions tailored for developing markets. With a strategic focus on key sectors such as healthcare, automotive, mining, and supply chain management, our mission is to lead Africa into the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Valio is dedicated to transforming these sectors by harnessing innovation to foster sustainable development and economic growth across the continent.

Media Contacts:
Dan Brennan, ICR
dan.brennan@icrinc.com

FAQ

What is the partnership between BEN and Valio Technologies about?

The partnership aims to develop AI assistants to support the mental health of university students in South Africa, leveraging Valio’s eYakho Health platform.

How many students will benefit from the BEN and Valio partnership?

The partnership is expected to support over 600,000 university students across South Africa.

What is the role of BEN’s AI assistants in the partnership with Valio Technologies?

BEN’s AI assistants will provide conversational, human-like support to help students find mental health resources and treatment options.

Which universities will be involved in the BEN and Valio AI assistant project?

The project will involve more than a dozen universities across South Africa.

How does the BEN and Valio partnership aim to address mental health issues in South Africa?

The partnership aims to integrate AI solutions to provide secure, empathetic, and reliable mental health support, addressing the gap in mental health care for students.

What is the expected impact of the BEN and Valio Technologies initiative on mental health care?

The initiative is expected to improve access to mental health care and reduce the burden on healthcare professionals by providing reliable AI-driven support.

What makes BEN’s AI assistants suitable for supporting mental health?

BEN’s AI assistants are designed to engage users in a conversational and empathetic way while protecting their information, making them suitable for mental health support.

What percentage of South African university students require mental health assistance?

According to research, up to 20% of South African university students require mental health assistance.

How will BEN’s AI assistants be integrated into South African educational institutions?

The AI assistants will be deployed across South Africa's 503 registered post-school education and training institutions, including public universities and other educational setups.

What are the long-term goals of the BEN and Valio partnership?

The long-term goals include improving mental health outcomes for students and ensuring better access to mental health care through innovative AI solutions.