Press
For journalists & podcasters.
Banyan Council is a private digital sanctuary that assembles small councils of voices — mystics, philosophers, elders, modern healers — for the questions ordinary therapy, religion, and ChatGPT don't quite answer. We're happy to talk on background, on the record, or by interview.
In one line
"A private AI sanctuary where you sit with history's wisest voices — mystics, philosophers, elders, and modern healers — and ask the questions that matter most."
In three lines
- A small wizard composes a council of 3–5 historical voices for the moment you're in.
- Each voice replies in its own register. You can challenge them, follow up with one of them privately, or sit quietly.
- Threads persist. Over time, a private portrait of you grows — so the council learns who they are speaking to. Privacy is architectural; identifying details are stripped before any model sees them.
What makes it different
- Multi-voice, not single-assistant. A grief question goes to Marcus Aurelius, Rumi, Julian of Norwich, Thich Nhat Hanh, and Black Elk — all at once.
- 13+ traditions. From Kabbalah and Sufism to Stoicism, Quaker, African wisdom, and Aboriginal Australian wisdom. Approached with respect, not appropriation.
- Not therapy. Not a chatbot. A category we call "wisdom companions" — sitting between meditation apps, AI companions, and the great spiritual books.
- Privacy by design. The system strips identifying details before any AI call. Everything in your portrait is visible only to you.
Story angles we're happy to discuss
- The grief market: how technology is meeting a need religion and therapy partially leave open.
- Why a generation that left organized religion still asks religious questions — and where they're taking them.
- The case for AI as a companion in spirituality rather than a replacement for it.
- How traditions stay alive when their institutions don't.
Contact
hello@banyancouncil.com. Please include your outlet, deadline, and a one-line summary. We respond to most inquiries within 48 hours.