FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
New York, NY – November 15, 2025 – Vibes AI, a pioneering neurotechnology company focused on cognitive health and wellness, today announced a groundbreaking partnership with AI Design Corps, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to embedding adaptivity and resilience into the future of learning and work. This collaboration will significantly expand the scope and impact of PROJECT MANTRA (Multilingual Assessment of Neurocognitive Trajectories and Risk Analysis), Vibes AI's foundational voice model that aims to make preventable cognitive decline obsolete.
The partnership will leverage AI Design Corps' diverse network of apprentices and their mission of "infinite diversity in infinite combinations" to accelerate the development of Vibes AI's foundational voice analysis model across multiple languages and neurological conditions. This collaboration marks a pivotal moment in the democratization of cognitive health screening and represents a new model for inclusive AI development in healthcare.
"Our mission to make preventable cognitive decline obsolete requires diverse perspectives and expertise," said Joanna Peña-Bickley, Founder and CEO of Vibes AI. "Partnering with AI Design Corps gives us access to a remarkable talent pool of apprentices from varied backgrounds who will help us ensure our voice biomarker technology works effectively across cultures, languages, and cognitive conditions. This isn't just about scaling our technology—it's about making sure it works for everyone, everywhere."
AI Design Corps apprentices will gain hands-on learning opportunities through direct involvement in building and refining the foundational model for cognitive health assessment. Their contributions will focus on expanding language capabilities beyond the current 15 languages, developing specialized models for detecting biomarkers related to various neurological conditions, and ensuring the technology remains culturally responsive and inclusive.
"This partnership with Vibes AI exemplifies our mission to create meaningful learning opportunities while advancing technology that serves humanity," said Rachel Bickley, the Executive Director of AI Design Corps. "By involving our diverse community of apprentices in PROJECT MANTRA, we're not only providing them with invaluable real-world experience in AI development but also ensuring that the resulting technology reflects and serves the global community in all its diversity."
Expanding the Reach and Impact of Voice Biomarkers
Recent research has demonstrated that subtle changes in speech patterns can indicate early cognitive changes up to five years before conventional clinical diagnosis. The Vibes AI and AI Design Corps partnership will build on these findings by:
- Expanding Language Coverage: Adding support for at least 10 additional languages and dialects, with special focus on underrepresented linguistic communities
- Deepening Neurological Insights: Extending voice biomarker analysis to identify early signs of a broader range of neurological conditions beyond Alzheimer's and dementia
- Enhancing Cultural Sensitivity: Ensuring that assessment algorithms account for cultural variations in speech patterns and expression
- Accelerating Data Collection: Leveraging AI Design Corps' global network to ethically collect diverse voice samples that strengthen the model's predictive capabilities
"Voice is perhaps our most accessible biometric, yet its potential for early detection of cognitive changes has been largely untapped until now," explained Peña-Bickley. "This partnership will help us validate our approach across more languages and conditions, potentially transforming how we screen for cognitive decline globally."
A New Model for Inclusive AI Development
The collaboration also represents an innovative approach to AI development in healthcare, addressing common criticisms about lack of diversity in training data and development teams.
AI Design Corps apprentices will work alongside Vibes AI's team of neuroscientists, AI researchers, and product development professionals, bringing fresh perspectives to challenging problems. Their contributions will help ensure that the voice biomarker technology performs equitably across demographic groups—addressing a critical shortcoming of many AI healthcare applications.
"Too often, AI solutions fail certain populations because those groups weren't represented in the development process," noted the Executive Director of AI Design Corps. "Our apprenticeship model counters this by bringing diverse voices into technology development from the ground up. With Vibes AI, we're creating a template for how AI can be developed responsibly and inclusively in healthcare."
Community-Based Research and Development
The partnership will also pioneer a community-based approach to research and development. Beyond expanding language capabilities, AI Design Corps apprentices will help design and implement culturally appropriate cognitive assessment protocols that account for educational, socioeconomic, and cultural differences.
"Traditional cognitive assessments often contain cultural biases that limit their effectiveness across diverse populations," said Peña-Bickley. "By collaborating with AI Design Corps apprentices, we can develop assessment approaches that resonate with different communities while maintaining scientific rigor."
The AI Design Corps apprentices will also contribute to building Vibes AI's MANTRA mobile application, which currently enables users to monitor their cognitive health through conversations with VAIA, an AI cognitive wellness coach, and to engage with features like the Mantra Maker and Vibes Tribes for community connection.
Tangible Impact Through Philanthropic Investment
This partnership creates a unique opportunity for donors, family offices, and philanthropic investors to directly support transformative research in cognitive health through tax-deductible contributions to AI Design Corps, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
"By supporting Project MANTRA, you're not just making a donation—you're becoming an architect of cognitive equity," said Peña-Bickley. "Every contribution drives measurable impact in expanding global access to early cognitive assessment."
The partnership has established clear metrics to demonstrate the direct impact of financial support:
- $50,000 enables the analysis of 10,000 voices, strengthening the model's accuracy across diverse populations
- $100,000 funds the addition of one new language, expanding accessibility to millions of potential users
- $250,000 reaches 100 underserved communities through targeted outreach and testing programs
- $1 million supports 5 years of longitudinal data collection, vital for validating long-term predictive accuracy
These contributions directly fund the work of AI Design Corps apprentices and Vibes AI researchers, creating a sustainable model that combines workforce development with scientific advancement. Donors will receive regular updates on research progress, impact metrics, and opportunities to engage with the research team.
Looking Ahead
The initial phase of the partnership will begin in June 2025, with the first cohort of AI Design Corps apprentices joining the PROJECT MANTRA team. The partners aim to release expanded language capabilities by mid-2026 and enhanced neurological condition detection by late 2026.
Organizations interested in supporting this initiative or individuals interested in participating in research through the MANTRA app can visit https://getvibes.ai/mantra or https://aidesigncorps.org/program/mantra for more information.
About Vibes AI
Vibes AI is a neurotechnology company on a mission to accelerate the world's access to cognitive health & wellness. Founded in 2024, the company uses AI, neuroscience, and ancestral intelligence to create innovative solutions that make cognitive health and enhancement accessible to all. MANTRA, the company's flagship product, uses voice biomarker technology to detect early signs of cognitive decline and provide personalized interventions.
About AI Design Corps
AI Design Corps is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to embedding adaptivity and resilience into the future of learning and work. Through its apprenticeship programs, AI Design Corps provides hands-on learning opportunities in AI development while promoting the principle of "infinite diversity in infinite combinations." The organization works to ensure that AI technologies are developed ethically, inclusively, and in service of humanity.
