Savo AI

Your Trusted Ally Against Sexual Violence, Harassment, Assault

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Savo AI – Your Trusted Ally Against Sexual Violence, Harassment, and Assault

Gender equity category: Women and girl’s safety

Inspiration

Savo AI was inspired by my own traumatic experience in elementary school when I was sexually assaulted. I was pulled into a dark corner by an older man, and no one came to help. At that time, I didn’t fully understand what was happening, and I was too scared and shocked to tell anyone. I didn’t feel safe, and I kept it to myself.

Unfortunately, my story is not unique. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 1 in 3 women globally will experience physical or sexual violence in their lifetime (WHO Factsheet). In the U.S., 1 in 5 women have experienced rape, and 81% of women report experiencing some form of sexual harassment in their lives (National Sexual Violence Resource Center).

These staggering statistics reflect a pervasive issue, and it became clear to me that there needed to be a platform for women and girls to safely navigate their emotions, access resources, and find support after experiencing trauma. This is the inspiration behind Savo AI—a platform designed to offer emotional support, safety, and resources to those who have experienced sexual violence, harassment, and assault.

What it does

Savo AI is a platform that offers comprehensive support to survivors of sexual violence, harassment, and assault. Key features include:

  • Safe Space for Sharing: A confidential, non-judgmental environment for users to share their experiences and talk through their emotions with an AI assistant.
  • Education and Resources: Access to educational materials about trauma recovery, rights, self-care, and how to seek professional help.
  • Location Safety Tracking: Users can share their real-time location with trusted contacts for peace of mind and safety. The app provides check-in options, SOS alerts, and location-based notifications.
  • Mood and Emotion Tracking: Savo AI tracks the user’s emotional state over time using sentiment analysis and emotion detection. Similar to how a therapist or counselor would assess emotional health, this helps users identify emotional patterns and triggers for better self-awareness and healing.

Savo AI is designed to empower women and girls, providing them with a sense of control over their safety and emotional health in moments of crisis and throughout their healing journey.

How we built it

We used a combination of Google technologies to build Savo AI as a cross-platform application, ensuring that it is accessible on iOS, Android, and Web. Here’s how we built it:

tech_diagram

Challenges we ran into

  • Real-time Emotion Detection: One of the biggest challenges was implementing real-time emotion detection from both voice and text. Ensuring accuracy and empathy in emotional responses is essential when dealing with sensitive topics. We had to fine-tune the sentiment analysis model and adapt it to recognize subtle emotional cues from users.
  • Privacy & Security: Ensuring the security of sensitive user data, including location, personal stories, and emotions, was a significant concern. We implemented encryption and strong security protocols to guarantee that user data remains private and safe.
  • Cross-Platform Consistency: Ensuring a consistent user experience across multiple platforms was challenging. We had to ensure that features like voice-to-text, location tracking, and sentiment analysis worked seamlessly on iOS, Android, and Web.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

  • Empathy-Driven AI: We are proud of the AI assistant we’ve built with Gemini AI, which responds empathetically to users in their time of need. It offers comfort, support, and reassurance, providing a safe space for survivors.
  • Multiplatform Accessibility: We successfully built a cross-platform app that works on iOS, Android, and Web, ensuring that users can access help wherever they are.
  • Trauma-Informed Design: The app was designed with trauma-informed principles, ensuring that users feel safe, supported, and heard at all times. Every feature, from voice interactions to location sharing, was crafted to promote healing and empowerment.

What we learned

  • Empathy in Technology: We learned how important it is to approach this kind of project with sensitivity. Technology must be designed with empathy, especially when dealing with survivors of trauma.
  • Complexity of Real-Time Features: Real-time voice-based interaction, emotion tracking, and location sharing presented challenges that required continuous testing and refinement. Ensuring real-time accuracy while maintaining user privacy was a key learning experience.
  • User-Centered Design: We learned that designing a product for trauma survivors requires constant feedback and iteration. The app must evolve with the needs of its users to remain helpful and empowering.

What’s next for Savo AI

  • Expanding Resources: We plan to expand the platform with more resources, including connections to professional mental health services, educational content, and self-care tools.
  • User Feedback & Iteration: We will continue to gather feedback from users and refine the platform to meet their needs. This includes improving the AI assistant’s ability to understand complex emotional states and expanding the range of available resources.
  • Partnerships with Support Organizations: We hope to partner with mental health organizations, crisis hotlines, and advocacy groups to provide direct connections to professional support and further resources for survivors.

How It Contributes to Gender Equality

Savo AI directly addresses the systemic issue of gender-based violence, one of the greatest barriers to gender equality. By providing resources, safety tools, and emotional support tailored to women’s experiences, the platform empowers users to reclaim their sense of agency and dignity. It bridges gaps in access to support, offering tools that are scalable and inclusive, regardless of socio-economic background.

By fostering safety, education, and emotional well-being, Savo AI helps dismantle the cycles of fear, shame, and isolation that often prevent survivors from speaking up or seeking help. In doing so, it contributes to a world where women and girls can live freely and confidently without fear of violence or harassment.

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