For the millions of parents struggling with children’s behavioral issues, help often seems out of reach. Amr Zaid (Questrom’26) is working to change that through Vipo.AI, an innovative application that brings professional-level parenting guidance directly to families’ smartphones.
“The problem is parents can’t find ways to help their children,” explains Amr. “You probably see kids screaming from the top of their lungs and their parents cannot do anything about it. So they seek psychologists to help them reduce their children’s behavioral issues.”
This challenge is compounded by two significant pressures: the expectations on parents to manage their children’s behavior, particularly in school settings, and the strain on our healthcare system with insufficient psychological support available for families who need it.
Amr’s solution? An AI-powered application trained by child psychologists that provides the same guidance a therapist would deliver, but at a fraction of the cost. The app offers parents two primary features: they can record an actual play session with their child and receive detailed feedback on their positive parenting techniques, or they can practice in a safe, simulated environment with an AI child and AI psychologist.
“It’s more like a game,” Amr says of the simulation feature. “You get different levels of how the child could be problematic and how you should deal with them. For example, you have your child in a restaurant who is screaming, and at that moment you have to respond. The AI coaches you on how to respond effectively.”
Currently, Vipo.AI is in partnership with UC Davis, working with top psychologists including the head of research to validate the application’s effectiveness. The team is conducting clinical trials with approximately 50 participants to ensure the application works as intended and causes no harm to children.
Amr emphasizes that Vipo.AI isn’t meant to replace therapists: “We’re not replacing therapists, but it’s more like a tool that helps parents continue practicing the knowledge they learn from therapists. Whether you’re going to a therapist and trying to practice every day, or you just want to prevent your child from having behavioral issues—it’s not a replacement.”
The need for such a solution is clear. According to Amr’s research, approximately 47 million people in the US experience some form of parenting challenges, with about 7 million seeking professional therapeutic help.
“We’ve never been trained to be parents,” Amr points out. “And the fact is, it’s tough. So you need that easy-to-access application to help you throughout the way.”
As a finalist in BU’s New Venture Competition, Amr plans to use any funding to support the clinical trials and reliability testing, ensuring Vipo.AI accurately delivers the same quality guidance a therapist would provide.
“The way parenting should be” isn’t something we’re born knowing—but with innovations like Vipo.AI, that knowledge might soon be just a tap away.
