Peanut launches community-powered AI built on real mums’ experiences

AI might be quick with answers, but when it comes to pregnancy symptoms at 2am or a tricky sleep regression, many mums still want a second opinion, from someone who has actually lived it.

Now, new data from Peanut shows just how often that is happening. And in response, the community app has launched a feature designed to bring AI and real-life experience together.

Ask Peanut is now live in the Peanut app, offering what the brand calls a first-of-its-kind, community-powered AI tool built specifically for women navigating fertility, pregnancy and motherhood.

A 2,041% surge in mums double-checking AI

Since February last year, Peanut has seen a 2,041% increase in mums using AI for answers, then turning to the community to validate them.

Women have been posting questions such as, “I used ChatGPT to help build a sleep training schedule. Does it look right to you, mums?” and “I checked my symptoms on ChatGPT, but need some real advice. Can anyone help?”

The trend reflects a wider shift. Despite one-third of consumers now turning to AI platforms for their queries rather than Google, and 40 million people asking health-related questions to AI daily, Peanut says “human experience and wisdom remain irreplaceable, especially when it comes to pregnancy, parenting, and reproductive health” .

In other words, AI might offer information, but it cannot offer reassurance from someone who has been through the same thing.

What is Ask Peanut and how does it work?

Rather than ignoring the fact that women are already using AI, Peanut says it chose to build a feature that keeps community at the centre.

Here is how Ask Peanut works:

• When a user asks a question, Ask Peanut uses generative AI to search millions of Peanut’s community conversations, synthesise the most relevant insights into a clear summary, and surface standout posts for deeper reading
• It can then draft a post on the user’s behalf based on the topic and recommend the best communities to share it in, so real users can weigh in with their own experiences and perspectives in real time
• Rather than positioning itself as the final word, Ask Peanut keeps human validation at the centre by actively directing users back to the community with a response like, “I’m just AI, let’s check it with the community.”

Unlike more generic AI tools, Ask Peanut is trained on the real voices and experiences of women on the platform, meaning its responses evolve as more conversations take place.

“What women actually need is confidence and validation”

Michelle Battersby, President of Peanut, says the feature is designed to strengthen community, not replace it.

“Everyone has a chatbot, but what women actually need is confidence and validation, which comes from other mums and women who have been in their place before them,” said Michelle Battersby, President of Peanut.

She added, “Ask Peanut bridges the gap between asking online and getting real, human validation. We're not building AI to replace what community can do, but an AI that makes our community stronger by placing them as the true source of knowledge.”

Everyone has a chatbot, but what women actually need is confidence and validation, which comes from other mums and women who have been in their place before them.

For UK mums who are already juggling Google searches, WhatsApp groups and late-night scrolls through forums, the idea of having answers shaped by millions of real conversations could feel like a natural next step.

Built for modern motherhood

Peanut, founded in 2017 by Michelle Kennedy, connects more than 5.5 million members across fertility, pregnancy, motherhood and menopause. The platform has facilitated over 34 million connections globally, with a new friendship forming every three seconds.

With Ask Peanut, the brand is leaning into what it believes sets it apart, real women sharing real stories.

Because while AI can process data in seconds, it has never recovered from a C-section while caring for a newborn. It has never agonised over whether a nap schedule is right for your baby. And it has never needed another mum to say, you are not overreacting, I have been there too.

Ask Peanut is available now on iOS and Android within the Peanut app.