A New Partnership to Help Vulnerable Families

The AI Bio Lab is partnering with the Plunk Foundation to pilot a consent-first coordination platform that helps society’s most vulnerable access services faster, safer, and with dignity. This collaboration brings together cutting-edge AI research and community-driven innovation to address a persistent challenge: fragmented service delivery for families in crisis.

When families need support from multiple agencies, such as food assistance, shelter, mental health care, and so on, they often face a hidden burden; they must retell their stories repeatedly, navigate disconnected systems, and wait for help until it’s too late. The Plunk Foundation, a Cincinnati-based nonprofit, is working to change that. With deep roots in protecting vulnerable people from digital harm, Plunk now focuses on closing gaps that prevent access to lifesaving services.

“Service providers want to help more families, but they’re constrained by tight budgets and disconnected systems,” says John Cavanaugh, Plunk’s Executive Director and PhD candidate in the AI Bio Lab. “Our platform makes coordination simpler and less expensive, so agencies can reach more people with the resources they already have.”

The platform is designed with consent at its core. Families create privacy-controlled profiles and can withdraw their data at any time. Sensitive information is encrypted end-to-end, and every action leaves a clear, explainable trail. This ensures accountability and builds trust between families and service providers.

“Trustworthiness and explainability is vital for AI, especially for organizations that deliver care to vulnerable people,” says Dr. Kelly Cohen. “By combining fuzzy-logic reasoning with clear decision paths and consent governance, we aim to help practitioners deliver services using technology that gives people control of their lives. That’s how technology earns a place in frontline work.”

The pilot will launch in Cincinnati, where partners across homelessness coordination, psychological services, and women’s and family services will test the platform in real-world settings. The team will measure outcomes like fewer duplicate intakes, faster outreach, and clearer consent trails. Success here will serve as a blueprint for other regions.

“I helped establish the vision for the 1819 Innovation Hub to unite universities, nonprofits, and civic leaders around urgent challenges,” says Rob Richardson, UC’s former Chairman of the Board of Trustees. “Plunk’s work shows what’s possible when we pool resources to help communities serve people in need, and it’s a model other cities can follow.”

Plunk’s mission is rooted in protection. In 2024, its volunteer experts reached over 34,000 people and delivered $2.7 million in pro bono services. Building on that momentum, Plunk is on track to assist 80 million people by the end of 2025. This new initiative applies that same ethos to coordination challenges—helping families avoid repeating trauma, missing eligibility windows, or falling through the cracks.

Over the coming months, Plunk and the AI Bio Lab will finalize pilot partners, publish a brief on consent governance and explainability, and share early outcomes from Cincinnati. The goal: make the next helpful action easier, safer, and more accountable.