SINGAPORE – Want to process your thoughts by journaling, but not sure where to start?

The Emotional Baggage Interface, or EBI, is an app that helps people to articulate their feelings more clearly through prompts that are powered by artificial intelligence (AI).

Besides typing out their responses to these prompts as notes, users of EBI can also describe their emotions to a chatbot, or have a conversation with a voice assistant that can respond in Singlish with the use of OpenAI models.

The app then generates a summary of the key concerns and coping mechanisms from various journaling entries and conversations, so that users can track their progress and easily share their thoughts with mental health professionals.

Developer Richard Xiong, 25, said: “We spoke to therapists, who said journaling is a great coping mechanism and a way to practise mindfulness. So our app tries to lower the barriers of entry to journaling and give people more conversational options through the chatbot and voice input.”

EBI was one of five new tech solutions to tackle eldercare, mental health, sustainability, and other community issues that were launched at the National Library on Nov 30.

They came from teams who had won the month-long Build For Good citizen hackathon in September, which brought together some 100 participants, including students, tech professionals and public officers, to use technology to tackle societal issues.

The teams then underwent an accelerator programme to take them closer to deploying their products after winning.

During the eight-week programme that began on Oct 12, the five teams were mentored and attended workshops by founders of start-ups, social enterprises and industry experts. They were also connected to partners that could provide them with suitable users to test their pr...