IIT-Bombay Startup Infiheal Launches DuoChat, World's First AI Relationship Coach
Infiheal, the IIT Bombay-founded mental health startup, has launched DuoChat, the world's first AI relationship coach designed to help two people communicate together in real time and build stronger, healthier connections. DuoChat exists as a sub-product of the mental health companion Healo, and it is Healo who serves as a mediator in these sessions. The product was unveiled at the official pre-summit hosted by Infiheal and IGAP ahead of the India AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi, where senior leaders from major technology firms, public policy institutions, healthcare systems, international organisations, academic research centres, and regulatory authorities gathered to shape the future of responsible AI.
Why Relationship Support Has Been Missing from Digital Mental Health
Over the past decade, digital mental health tools have largely focused on individuals, offering support for anxiety management, emotional regulation, and personal resilience. However, research increasingly underscores that emotional well-being is deeply relational.
Despite this, relationship support has remained largely reactive. Couples therapy is typically sought only during a crisis, and access barriers, cost, social stigma, and long waitlists delay intervention at the moments when it matters most. Many people attempt to resolve conflict independently, without a shared framework for constructive dialogue. DuoChat was built to fill exactly that gap.
What DuoChat Does
The platform creates a private, confidential chat environment where two participants engage simultaneously. The AI, Healo, functions as a facilitator and mediator, not a replacement for communication. It introduces structured prompts, reflection cues, and perspective-building interventions designed to reduce defensiveness, prevent escalation, and clarify misinterpretations. Drawing from established relationship science and evidence-based therapeutic frameworks, the system intervenes selectively, primarily when conversations become heated or when guided reflection can restore empathy and mutual understanding.
This makes DuoChat distinct from any existing AI mental health tool: it is not a chatbot you speak to alone, but a shared space where two people navigate difficult conversations together, guided by AI that understands relational dynamics.
Preventative by Design
Globally, demand for counselling continues to outpace supply, leaving many couples and families waiting weeks or months for professional support. During these gaps, emotional distance can deepen. DuoChat positions itself as early-stage support, not therapy, but a preventative tool aimed at encouraging healthier dialogue before disconnection becomes entrenched.
The product's launch around Valentine's Day was intentional. While the season centres on celebration, mental health professionals consistently note that it also surfaces unresolved tensions in relationships, making accessible, stigma-free relationship support tools especially timely.
Rooted in Infiheal's Broader Mission
Infiheal's founders, Srishti Srivastava and Utkarsh Srivastava, have developed clinically validated AI models for mental healthcare within responsible AI frameworks, emphasising safety and trust. The company has been recognised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Mann Ki Baat and has showcased its work at global platforms, including the World Economic Forum in Davos.
DuoChat extends Infiheal's commitment to making AI-powered mental healthcare accessible, affordable, and deeply human, reframing AI not merely as a tool for individual productivity, but as a genuine bridge for stronger human connection.
Duo Chat can be tried here: https://healo.infiheal.com/ai-relationship-coach-duo-chat
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