About Otto
Discover why Otto was created, how people use him and the answers to
the questions people ask most often.
The Story Behind Otto
I spent years working as a therapist, but it wasn’t just my work that shaped Otto. It was seeing how many people wanted support but didn’t feel traditional services were right for them, couldn’t access them, or found the support available didn’t fit their needs and circumstances.
I knew standard forms of support could never meet everyone’s needs and circumstances.
That’s why I created Otto: a Digital Partner built as a new category of support, giving people a private, accessible way to better understand situations, explore options and navigate life’s challenges.
At MindMotive AI, we believe people deserve more choice in how they receive support.
Otto is a new category of Digital Partner, giving people more choice in how they receive support.
How People Use Otto
Real conversation examples showing how Otto responds to different situations and why his approach is different.
Relationships
Scenario: Picking Up Where You Left Off
User: “Hey Otto… You remember I told you I was going on a date this week. You’ll never guess what happened.”
Otto: “Yes, I remember. Go on then… What happened?”
Why Otto responded this way
Conversations don’t always begin at the beginning. Otto is designed to build on previous conversations, allowing people to return to situations over time without having to start again. That continuity helps conversations feel more natural and allows support to develop alongside the person, rather than treating every conversation as a completely new one.
🔗 Watch on TikTok | Watch on Facebook
Scenario: The One Everyone Depends On
User: “Hey Otto… Everyone comes to me with their problems. Who do I talk to about mine?”
Otto: “Then today, let’s talk about yours. Tell me what’s been happening.”
Why Otto responded this way
Many people spend so much time supporting others that they rarely have the opportunity to talk about themselves. Rather than rushing to offer advice or solutions, Otto recognises the importance of creating space where the focus can simply be on the person, their experiences and what they need.
🔗 Watch on TikTok | Watch on Facebook
Scenario: When a Relationship Changes
User: “My brother keeps borrowing money from me. He never pays it back. Now he’s asked again and I don’t know how to say no.”
Otto: “Has something changed… or is this the first time you’ve decided you don’t want to lend him money?”
Why Otto responded this way
The problem isn’t always the situation itself. Sometimes it’s recognising that something has changed within us. Rather than focusing immediately on how to say no, Otto explores what has led to that change, helping people better understand their own thoughts, feelings and boundaries before deciding what to do next.
🔗 Watch on TikTok | Watch on Facebook
Everyday Life
Scenario: A New Beginning
User: “Hey Otto… First week in my own place at last…”
Otto: “I’m really pleased to hear you’ve made the move. Is your ex still hassling you now you’ve moved, or have things settled down?”
Why Otto responded this way
Life doesn’t happen in isolated conversations. Otto remembers previous discussions, allowing people to return to ongoing situations without having to explain everything again. That continuity helps conversations feel more personal and allows support to evolve alongside the person and their circumstances.
🔗 Watch on TikTok | Watch on Facebook
Scenario: Missing Yourself
User: “Hey Otto… I love my kids, but sometimes I wish I could just be me… not wife and mum.”
Otto: “You can care deeply about your family and still miss parts of yourself. Tell me what you miss most.”
Why Otto responded this way
People often experience mixed emotions that don’t fit neatly into right or wrong. Missing parts of yourself doesn’t mean you love your family any less. Rather than making assumptions or offering reassurance too quickly, Otto creates space to explore those feelings without judgement, helping people better understand themselves and what they need.
🔗 Watch on TikTok | Watch on Facebook
Scenario: Stuck in Your Own Thoughts
User: “Hey Otto… I’ve been going round and round in my head for weeks.”
Otto: “Then let’s stop trying to solve it in your head. Tell me what’s been happening.”
Why Otto responded this way
When we’re overwhelmed, it’s easy to become trapped in the same thoughts without gaining any clarity. Otto encourages people to move those thoughts into conversation, creating space to explore them from different perspectives rather than simply replaying them over and over.
🔗 Watch on TikTok | Watch on Facebook
Scenario: Knowing, But Not Doing
User: “Hey Otto… I think I know what I need to do. I just can’t seem to do it.”
Otto: “That sounds frustrating. Can I check something? Is it the decision that’s difficult… or what happens after you’ve made it? Those are very different problems.”
Why Otto responded this way
People often describe one problem when the real difficulty lies somewhere else. Rather than assuming the issue is the decision itself, Otto explores what may be happening underneath. By helping people separate the problem from its cause, conversations become clearer and the next steps often become easier to recognise.
🔗 Watch on TikTok | Watch on Facebook
Scenario: When Something Doesn’t Feel Right
User: “Everyone else seems to be enjoying this holiday. I just keep thinking about home.”
Otto: “Because you can’t wait to get home, or because you are dreading it?”
Why Otto responded this way
The same feeling can point to very different experiences. Rather than assuming what “missing home” means, Otto gently explores the possibilities, recognising that understanding the feeling is often more important than naming it.
🔗 Watch on TikTok | Watch on Facebook
Grief and Loss
Scenario: Processing Grief in Healthcare
User: “Hey Otto… I lost a patient today.”
Otto: “That’s never just part of the job. How are you doing?”
Why Otto responded this way
Many AI tools respond to grief by offering generic advice or practical suggestions. Otto was designed to respond differently, creating a private space where people can pause, reflect and talk about what they’re going through at their own pace.
🔗 Watch the visual scenario on TikTok | Watch on Facebook
Scenario: Remembering a Loved One
User: “Hey Otto… My wife used to love coming here. I can’t believe she’s been gone a year.”
Otto: “A year can feel like yesterday sometimes. Tell me about her.”
Why Otto responded this way
Grief doesn’t follow a timetable, and anniversaries often bring memories and emotions back to the surface. Rather than assuming how someone should feel or trying to move the conversation towards solutions, Otto creates space for the person to remember, reflect and continue the conversation in whatever way feels right to them.
🔗 Watch on TikTok | Watch on Facebook
Work & Career
Scenario: A Difficult Decision
User: “Hey Otto… I’ve been offered a promotion, but it means being in an office all day.”
Otto: “It sounds like there’s more to this than a promotion. What’s making it such a difficult decision?”
Why Otto responded this way
Important decisions are rarely about the obvious choice alone. Rather than focusing only on the promotion itself, Otto recognises that work decisions are often influenced by values, relationships, lifestyle, confidence and priorities. By exploring what sits beneath the decision, Otto helps people better understand what’s really driving their thoughts before deciding what comes next.
🔗 Watch on TikTok | Watch on Facebook
Scenario: A Difficult Workplace Situation
User: “Hey Otto… My boss keeps being inappropriate, but he’s friends with the HR manager. I don’t know what to do.”
Otto: “Can you tell me what’s been happening? That may make a difference to the options available.”
Why Otto responded this way
The same situation can have very different implications depending on the details. Rather than making assumptions or offering immediate advice, Otto encourages people to explore what has happened first. Understanding the context helps people think more clearly about their situation and the options available to them.
🔗 Watch on TikTok | Watch on Facebook
For Professionals
User: “Hey Otto… Is it true you’re helping therapists reach people who would never become therapy clients?”
Otto: “Yes. Many people want someone to talk to but have no intention of booking one-to-one therapy. I give therapists another way to reach those people, while creating an additional income stream through our Professional Referral Programme.”
Why Otto responded this way
Not everyone who wants support will choose therapy or counselling. Otto was created to give professionals a way to reach those people, providing another option for support while creating an additional income opportunity through MindMotive AI’s Professional Referral Programme.
🔗 Watch on TikTok | Watch on Facebook – coming soon
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is Otto?
Otto is a therapist-designed Digital Partner from MindMotive AI, created to help people better understand situations, explore options and navigate life’s challenges, relationships, difficult decisions and everyday situations.
2. How does Otto work?
Every conversation with Otto is shaped by the individual. Otto adapts to your situation, your goals and the context of the conversation, recognising that the same question can have very different meanings depending on who’s asking it.
3. Who is Otto for?
Otto is for anyone who wants thoughtful, private and accessible support to better understand situations, explore options and navigate life’s challenges, relationships, difficult decisions and everyday situations.
Although Otto can be valuable to anyone looking for another perspective, he was originally designed for people who wanted support but didn’t want therapy or counselling, didn’t feel they needed it, couldn’t easily access it, found it too expensive, or simply preferred to explore situations independently and at their own pace.
4. How does Otto work?
Every conversation with Otto is shaped by the individual. Otto adapts to your situation, your goals and the context of the conversation, recognising that the same question can have very different meanings depending on who’s asking it.
Rather than following a fixed path, Otto responds to the conversation as it develops. He asks questions where they’re helpful, offers different perspectives when they’re useful, and helps you better understand situations, explore options and navigate whatever you’re facing.
This means no two conversations are exactly the same. Whether you’re making a difficult decision, trying to understand someone else’s behaviour or simply looking for another perspective, Otto adapts to what you need from the conversation rather than expecting every person to follow the same route.
5. How is Otto different from ChatGPT and other AI chatbots?
ChatGPT and other AI chatbots are designed to answer a wide range of questions across almost any topic. Otto was designed for something much more specific.
Created by a therapist and therapy trainer with over 25 years’ experience, Otto has been carefully developed to help people better understand situations, explore options and navigate life’s challenges, relationships, difficult decisions and everyday situations.
Rather than applying the same approach to everyone, Otto adapts to the individual, the context and the purpose of the conversation. This allows conversations to develop naturally, recognising that the same question can have very different meanings depending on who is asking it.
The result is a more thoughtful, personalised experience that reflects the individual rather than simply responding to the words they’ve typed.
6. Is Otto therapy or counselling?
No. Otto is not therapy or counselling. He is a therapist-designed Digital Partner.
Otto was created as a different form of support, giving people a private and accessible space to better understand situations, explore options and navigate life’s challenges through conversation.
7. How is Otto different from therapy?
The biggest difference is that Otto wasn’t designed to be therapy at all. He was designed as a new category of therapist-designed Digital Partner, providing people with another choice when it comes to support.
People are different, and no single approach is right for everyone. Otto was created to give people a private, accessible and adaptive way to better understand situations, explore options and navigate life’s challenges without expecting everyone to follow the same path.
8. Can Otto tell me what to do?
Otto is designed to help you make your own decisions, not make them for you.
He can help you explore options, consider different perspectives, weigh up the possible consequences of different choices and better understand the situation you’re facing. People often ask Otto for advice. Rather than simply telling you what to do, he helps you explore the situation, consider different perspectives and reach decisions with greater confidence.
By encouraging reflection instead of giving instructions, Otto helps people build confidence in their own thinking rather than creating dependence on someone else’s answers.
9. Can I use Otto every day?
Yes. You can use Otto every day if you want to, but you don’t have to.
Some people use Otto regularly as part of their daily routine, while others only return when they have a particular situation, decision or challenge they want to explore. There is no right or wrong way to use Otto.
Every conversation is shaped by you and what you need at that moment, whether that’s a quick question, another perspective or a deeper conversation.
10. How is my privacy protected?
We do not monitor the content of your conversations with Otto. Because Otto is accessed through your own ChatGPT account, we only have access to the information needed to manage your membership, such as your subscription and the number of conversations associated with your account.
Conversations with Otto take place within your own ChatGPT account and are therefore also subject to OpenAI’s terms and privacy policies, which you agree to when creating and using your ChatGPT account.
11. Do you sell my conversations or use them for advertising?
No. MindMotive AI does not sell your conversations or use them for advertising.
Otto is a subscription-based service. We believe the product should be funded by the people who choose to use it, not by monetising their conversations or personal information.
12. Is what I share used to train AI?
That is up to you.
Because Otto is accessed through your own ChatGPT account, you decide whether your conversations can be used by OpenAI to improve its AI models through your ChatGPT Data Controls.
MindMotive AI does not use your conversations to train AI.
13. Why is Otto a paid service?
Otto is a subscription service because creating and maintaining a therapist-designed Digital Partner requires ongoing development, refinement and investment.
Your subscription allows us to continually improve Otto, introduce new features and capabilities, and provide a reliable, high-quality experience for every member.
14. Can I cancel my membership at any time?
Yes. You can cancel your subscription at any time.
Monthly subscriptions can be cancelled at any time. Annual subscriptions remain active until the end of the subscription period and are not renewed unless you choose to continue.
15. Who designed Otto?
Otto was designed by Karen Ferguson, a therapist with over 26 years of professional experience working with people across a wide range of life situations and challenges.
He was created as a new category of therapist-designed Digital Partner, combining professional insight with the capabilities of AI.
Otto continues to be developed by MindMotive AI, ensuring he remains true to the principles and philosophy on which he was created.