Send us Fan Mail Peter Cooney on building Acutis AI for Catholic families Hello Sisters in Christ! How are you? How is your summer going? For this week's episode, Sheila Nonato speaks with Peter Cooney, co-founder of Acutis AI, about how the app is designed to help kids use AI safely while staying grounded in Catholic moral teaching. The conversation covers parental controls, content safeguards, faith formation, and why Peter and his brother, Thomas, built the tool in the first place. It is especially relevant for parents trying to navigate AI, social media, and online discernment with their children. Please note that we discuss mental health during this conversation. If you are in distress, please contact your doctor or a trusted medical professional in your area. Some available resources in Canada: https://kidshelpphone.ca https://www.camh.ca/en/professionals/videos https://www.youtube.com/@1MHCC Key topics: Acutis AI as a Catholic alternative to mainstream chatbots - Peter explains that the app works like ChatGPT or Claude, but with a Catholic moral framework and parental controls built in.How the app sources answers on faith and morals - He says the platform uses the Catechism, the Summa Theologica by St. Thomas Aquinas, and selected Church documents so Catholic questions are answered from Church teaching rather than broad web search or model guesswork.Why safety and transparency matter for parents - The app is designed so parents can see full chat history, get immediate alerts for sensitive topics like suicide, and control what their children can access.Blocking topics and limiting risky conversations - Parents can block specific subjects so the app will redirect children to talk to a parent instead of discussing the topic with the chatbot.Reducing emotional dependence on AI - Peter says the app is intentionally less “affirming” and less relationship-like than mainstream chatbots, so children do not begin treating AI as a substitute for friends, family, or mentors.No character personas or pretend friends - Unlike character-based apps, Acutus AI does not let users create custom personas or emotional “friend” bots.Image generation is filtered and rewritten - Peter describes hard blocks for pornographic or sacrilegious content, plus prompt rewriting so generated images stay modest and safe.Why they started building it - He says he and his brother, Thomas, noticed that AI was useful for coding, but unreliable and morally confused when answering ethical questions.Faith, formation, and St. Carlo Acutis - Peter shares how daily Mass, Catholic schooling, and the example of St. Carlo Acutis shaped his faith and inspired both the app’s name and its mission.What is coming next - Future plans include school tools, broader Church-document coverage, a fine-tuned open-source model, a morning summary feature, calendar and email integration, audio summaries, and more language support.Timestamps (00:00) Opening clip of Peter Cooney (01:50) What Acutis AI is and how it differs from mainstream chatbots (03:15) Peter’s background at the University of Dallas and working with his brother (04:11) How Catholic sources and system prompts shape the app’s answers (06:41) Parental controls, alerts, and transparency for sensitive conversations (08:38) Why mainstream chatbots can become overly affirming and emotionally sticky (10:42) Account access, age rating, and the free sign-up structure (11:45) Family plan setup, passcodes, and full chat-history visibility (13:05) Parental controls (14:23) Catechism, the Summa Theologica, and plans to fine-tune an open-source model (16:57) Image safety, no internet images, and prompt re-writing (18:54) Why the app avoids replacing human relationships (21:03) How the idea began during AI coding projects and moral concerns (22:06) Why Peter distrusts vague “ethics teams” and wants clear Church grounding (23:35) Why AI moral confusion is especially dangerous for kids (25:52) Peter’s faith upbringing, college environment, and love of the Eucharist (27:30) Visiting St. Carlo Acutis in Assisi and being inspired by his witness (30:10) Why the app name Acutus AI fits Peter’s vision (31:22) Growing up without a cell phone and learning real-world relationships first (33:21) Early coding, Scratch, and the importance of learning technology well (36:08) Lessons from The Heights: mentoring, responsibility, and strong friendships (39:14) Pricing, app availability, and current language support (40:35) What is next: school tools, daily summaries, and faith-filled integrations (44:50) Closing prayer and final reflections Notable quotes “The goal is to teach them how to use AI well, how to use it responsibly.” “The only credible source for a moral framework is Church teaching.” “We don’t want people relying on this tool as a replacement for human interaction.” Next steps for parents Parents can review whether a Catholic AI tool with transparency features would help in their household.Families may want to think about what AI topics should be blocked versus what should simply be redirected to a parent.Educators and parents can reflect on how to help children use technology without losing human relationships and critical thinking.Acutis AI is available in the App store and on the website: https://acutisai.com Support the show To reach Veil + Armour, please visit: https://veilandarmour.com https://www.youtube.com/@veilandarmour https://www.x.com/@sheilanonato https://www.sheilanonato.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/@veilandarmour What resonated with you the most about this episode? 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