Pro Juventute to expand parenting advice with an AI assistant

Pro Juventute is preparing to put parenting guidance within reach on WhatsApp, at any hour. The Swiss foundation is testing an AI assistant that will let parents ask questions in their own language and receive answers around the clock. It plans to introduce the service gradually from 2027.

The project builds on Pro Juventute’s existing Parents’ Letters, which it is developing into a digital Parents’ Guide with selected Swiss local authorities and specialist organisations. The aim is to make the foundation’s accumulated parenting knowledge “simple and direct” to access on a smartphone.

The assistant is still being trialled. Pro Juventute says its answers will draw on verified expert knowledge, including material from the Parents’ Letters. The move extends the foundation’s existing advice into a messaging service that parents can use when a question arises, rather than limiting access to printed guidance or scheduled contact.

The assistant will rely on Pro Juventute material reviewed by experts. The foundation says the Parents’ Guide will use content from its Parents’ Letters and other selected material for parents. That gives the chatbot a defined body of guidance to draw on when it responds to questions.

Pro Juventute spokesperson Lulzana Musliu told Keystone-SDA that the Parents’ Letters have been reviewed by experts. She said the guide draws “exclusively” on that material and other selected Pro Juventute content for parents, distinguishing it from AI applications that draw on other content. The organisation says specialists will continuously check the chatbot’s answers for quality and optimise them.

Pro Juventute is developing the guide with selected Swiss local authorities and specialist organisations through the end of 2026. It presents the digital service as a way to make its existing expertise easier to reach by smartphone, with answers available in the language parents use.

Parents will be able to reach a human specialist when a conversation needs personal advice. Pro Juventute says specialists will be available where necessary, and that parents can contact a real expert at any time through the Parents’ Guide. The organisation describes this option as a central feature of the service.

Musliu said Pro Juventute wants to make clear when a parent is speaking with an AI chatbot and when a real person is responding. That distinction matters to the way the service is designed: the chatbot handles questions using the foundation’s selected guidance, while a specialist can provide personalised advice.

The arrangement keeps human support within the same service as the automated answers. Pro Juventute says the assistant’s responses will be checked by experts and adjusted for quality over time. Its stated approach combines access to the digital guide at any hour with the ability to turn to a person when individual support is needed.

The trial now leads into a staged rollout planned for 2027. Pro Juventute is working with selected local authorities and specialist organisations to develop the Parents’ Guide through the end of 2026. The foundation says the service will then be introduced gradually from next year.

Its intended availability is 24/7, with parents able to send questions through WhatsApp in their own language. The guide will bring together the foundation’s existing parenting advice and an AI assistant that answers from selected, expert-reviewed content. Specialists will remain available for personalised advice, and experts will continue checking the chatbot’s responses.

For families in Switzerland, the project puts established advice from Pro Juventute into a format the organisation says can be accessed directly on a smartphone. The rollout will extend the foundation’s current guidance service while keeping expert review and human contact part of its stated model.