Nesya: empathetic AI for Gen Z

Tenang.AI

Nesya: empathetic AI for Gen Z

An empathetic AI co-psychologist helping Gen Z and Millennials in Indonesia manage daily low-to-medium stress—anytime, anywhere, safely and affordably

Yogyakarta, Yogyakarta City, Special Region of Yogyakarta, Indonesia

IDN

For-profit, including B-Corp or similar models

In Indonesia, over 60 million Gen Z and Millennial youth face rising mental health challenges—yet affordable, accessible, and stigma-free support remains out of reach. Nearly 1 in 3 Indonesian youth report symptoms of anxiety or depression, but less than 5% receive professional help due to limited access, high costs, and fear of judgment. Nationally, there are only about 3,000 licensed psychologists serving a population of 270+ million, creating a critical service gap. Young people, especially those in urban low-to-middle income areas, often turn to the internet for help—yet what they find is either overwhelming, irrelevant, or unempathetic. Globally, this crisis echoes across lower-income and middle-income countries (LMICs), where mental health systems are overstretched or underdeveloped. Technology holds promise, but many existing solutions are not localized, not culturally sensitive, or too expensive. Our goal is not just to build technology, but to build trust—so every young person has someone to talk to when life feels overwhelming.

We built Nesya, an empathetic AI co-psychologist designed to support Gen Z and Millennials in managing everyday emotional stress, and mental well-being—anytime, anywhere. Nesya combines natural language processing and CBT to hold reflective, emotionally-aware conversations with users in colloquial Indonesian. Trained with culturally nuanced datasets and guided by mental health experts, Nesya acts like a private, judgment-free companion—helping users name their emotions, challenge unhelpful thought patterns, and feel less alone in moments of struggle. The technology behind Nesya includes LLMs (large language models), prompt engineering, and human-in-the-loop safety checks to ensure reliability, contextual understanding, and ethical safeguards. It’s accessible via web and mobile browsers with no app download required. Unlike conventional chatbots, Nesya doesn’t diagnose or pretend to replace a therapist. Instead, it focuses on improving self-awareness, building emotional resilience, and encouraging healthy coping—especially for those who may not seek help elsewhere. Demo: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1aT6avrti4RpvdBx7rVaGAtvj3SYpQL2s/view?usp=sharing. We have helped over 30K GenZ and Millennials all around Indonesia—with zero marketing spend and overwhelmingly positive organic feedback from students and young workers.

Our solution serves Gen Z and Millennial youth in Indonesia—primarily students and early-career workers aged 18–30, many of whom are facing chronic stress, anxiety, and identity confusion in silence. This generation is highly self-aware but systemically underserved. Most mental health services are expensive, unavailable after hours, or burdened by stigma. Many young people turn to friends, social media, or self-isolation—not because they don’t care about mental health, but because existing support doesn’t fit their lives. Nesya meets them where they are: online, at 2am, after a tough day, or during a study break—offering a safe space to reflect, feel heard, and build clarity. For a student struggling with imposter syndrome or a young worker on the edge of burnout, Nesya becomes a mirror. A place to pause. A small first step before seeking deeper help. It doesn’t claim to solve everything—but it shows up. By giving youth access to non-judgmental, emotionally intelligent support, we’re creating pathways toward earlier help-seeking, improved self-regulation, and ultimately, healthier communities. We’re also expanding into schools, universities, and government partnerships—making sure this support reaches those who need it most.