SoftBank launches AI mental-health support service for schools

This launch comes as schools in Japan follow the Ministry of Education's basic policy on bullying prevention, which requires regular surveys. The press release points to a specific problem: paper-based surveys create heavy workloads, and there aren't enough school counselors to support every student. Mentari is designed to address these pain points directly. Its value proposition appears to be in the early detection of students who need help, which is meant to free up teachers' time for more face-to-face support rather than replace human interaction. Interestingly, the design explicitly limits the AI's role to listening and organizing, not advising. This suggests an awareness of the risks of AI influencing children. The comments from the supervising experts emphasize the seriousness of rising suicide rates among young people and the limits of what teachers alone can handle. One expert frames the tool as a way to expand "what we can do now" in everyday mental-health support. The involvement of psychiatrists and counselors in supervising the content adds a layer of professional oversight to the AI's suggestions, which may be a key factor in schools deciding to trust the system.