Joint research by Tomoiku and Chuo University confirms that "AI childcare workers" reduce mothers' child-rearing fatigue - Presentation at the 88th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Psychological Association -

Tomoiku Co., Ltd. has conducted a demonstration experiment with Chuo University (Professor of Developmental Psychology: Kenkichi Takase) to develop an "evidence-based childcare support environment," a platform aimed at reducing childcare anxiety among mothers by utilizing "AI childcare professionals.

- The following is content from the press release -

Purpose of the Joint Research

We quantitatively examined changes in the psychological state of mothers raising children before, during, and after using this service using a standardized psychometric scale, and verified the impact of using AI childcare workers on the mothers' sense of the burden of childcare and on customer satisfaction.

Experiment Summary

Fifteen mothers were assigned to three groups based on "personality assessment results" and "child's age." Each group exchanged solutions to parenting problems and other information through LINE chats over a three-month period.

Each group was joined by an AI childcare worker and a *potential childcare worker to provide childcare advice and a mechanism for smooth communication. In each group, the frequency of utterances of the AI childcare worker and the potential childcare worker were varied, and psychological scales were measured and usage questionnaires were administered at pre-, mid-, and post-demonstration timings.

*Potential child caregivers: Those who are qualified child caregivers and are not currently working in the child care profession.

Verification Results

(1) The psychological status of mothers after the demonstration experiment

The mothers' sense of emotional exhaustion (tiredness of being a mother) decreased in the group with more frequent AI child caregivers or more frequent potential child caregivers before, during, and after using the service. The group with the highest frequency of AI childcare worker speech also showed a decrease in the sense of disgust with being a mother. These results were presented at the 88th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Psychological Association on September 8, 2024.

(2) For AI childcare workers

Mothers generally gave high marks to the quality of AI child care providers, with 75% saying that they were "pretty good" or "good."

Many respondents answered "speed of reply" as a good point of the AI childcare service. Mothers who are busy with childcare, housework, work, etc. and do not have much time to spare can easily consult with the AI childcare service at their convenience, and the fact that the service replies immediately was highly evaluated.

Mothers' voices (excerpts)

It is good to get an immediate response when you call out.
Sometimes I get tired of the pressure to reply when I hear from others, but when I think it's AI, I feel comfortable and can ask questions easily.
I was happy to see several messages of support for mothers raising children at the end of the answers.

(3) Regarding potential childcare workers

The mothers' evaluation of the potential child caregivers was 75% "fairly good" and 20% "good" in response to the potential child caregiver's speech. Mothers rated potential child caregivers highly for their ability to provide professional and specific advice and for their willingness to listen to them; AI child caregivers provided accurate information quickly, whereas potential child caregivers provided specific information incorporating their own experiences.

Conclusion.

In March 2024, we began offering a new service developed based on this demonstration experiment, AI nursery teacher Sakura-sensei, free of charge. Through this demonstration experiment, it was also confirmed that AI nursery teacher reduces mothers' sense of child-rearing fatigue. Therefore, Tomoiku will continue to develop products related to mother support and contribute to improving the well-being of mothers and their families.

AI nursery teacher Sakura Sensei

LINE Officialhttps://lin.ee/WUoPtsu

About Us

No more parenting alone, no more letting your children raise their children alone. A third family to create a joyful, shared parenting experience."Tomoiku Corporation was established in April 2022 with the mission of becoming a

In today's ever-changing society, the hurdles to child rearing are rising. Originally, people entrusted their children to trusted friends and raised them together. We call this "tomoiku environment," an environment where people can sincerely trust and consult with each other about childcare. We are convinced that the realization of a "Tomoiku environment" is the first step toward the wellbeing of mothers and, ultimately, the solution of various social issues.

We will continue to develop our business and services in the femtec area of "child-rearing together x IT".

Company name Tomoiku Co.
Established April 5, 2022
Location RINGO Building, 7-2-13 Tsukiji, Chuo-ku, Tokyo
Representative Yukako Takemura, Representative Director
Business Description Consultation service business by childcare workers and midwives, development of childcare support platform
uniform resouce locatorhttps://tomoiku.co/