Amber's Custom Anxiety Model
We're launching something new today that changes how Amber handles anxiety, and I wanted to share why we built it.
Quick Background
From day one, Amber has been more than just an AI with a therapy prompt. We built our own therapeutic framework based on CBT principles, layered it with extensive knowledge bases, and yes—we use the best language models available to power conversations. This combination has helped our users work through complex emotions and understand yourselves better.
But here's the thing: we kept hitting a wall with anxiety.
The Limitation We Discovered
No matter how sophisticated our framework or how advanced the language model, when someone came to Amber during acute anxiety or panic, the conversations weren't helping the way they should.
The issue? Even the best LLMs are trained to explore and understand. They want to dig into "why" and "what does this mean" and "tell me more." That's great for processing emotions. But during anxiety, your brain literally can't engage with that kind of exploration. You need grounding, not questions.
We tried everything, adjusting our framework, experimenting with different approaches, rewriting prompts. But you can't prompt-engineer away what these models are fundamentally trained to do.
So We Built Our Own Model
For the first time, we've trained our own specialized AI model. We partnered with some brilliant external partners who helped us create something purpose-built for anxiety.
Using synthetic data, we trained this model specifically on:
- Grounding techniques that actually work
- Breathing exercises that calm your nervous system
- Present-moment focus that breaks anxiety spirals
- Clear, brief responses when everything feels chaotic
The synthetic data approach lets us model thousands of anxiety scenarios and pair them with evidence-based de-escalation techniques. The result? An AI that knows when to stop exploring and start stabilizing.
How It Works
Amber now has two modes:
Regular Chat: Your space for deeper conversations, powered by our therapeutic framework and the best available LLMs. This is where understanding happens.
Anxiety Mode: Our custom model that kicks in when you need immediate grounding. No exploration, no lengthy responses, just practical techniques to help you find calm.
The Difference
Here's what changes:
Regular Amber when you're anxious: "I understand you're feeling overwhelmed. Can you describe what you're experiencing? Sometimes when we examine these feelings..."
Anxiety Mode: "Let's ground you. Look around and name 5 things you can see. Take your time."
One explores. The other stabilizes. Both have their place, just at different times.
Why This Matters to Us
Look, we're building Amber because we believe AI can genuinely help with mental health. But help means meeting people where they are, not where we think they should be.
Anxiety doesn't care that you're "supposed to" explore your feelings. When you're panicking at 2 AM, you need something that works right now. That's what we built.
What's Next
This is our first specialized model, but it won't be our last. We're learning that different emotional states need fundamentally different support. Anxiety mode is just the beginning of making Amber smarter about when to use which approach.
Try It Today
Anxiety Mode is live now. You can try it for free.
If you've ever opened Amber (or any AI) during anxiety and felt like it just didn't get what you needed, give this a shot. We built it because we've been there too.
Thank You
To everyone who's shared feedback about what wasn't working, this exists because of you. You pushed us to do better than just tweaking prompts or switching models. You pushed us to build something actually different.
And huge thanks to our partners who helped make this technically possible. Building custom models isn't easy, but they believed in the vision.
Let us know what you think. Your experience shapes what we build next.
Kuhu
Founder at Amber
P.S. — Please know Amber isn't a replacement for professional help. If you're dealing with ongoing anxiety, please reach out to a mental health professional. We're just here for the moments in between, when you need support right now.
