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As the co-founder and CEO of Luvu, Alexis Sursock is building a new era of artificial intelligence (AI)-driven accountability and motivation. Through his company, Sursock uses AI to transform addictive algorithms into tools that help people create lasting, positive habits. With his app boasting more than 150,000 users and millions of completed exercises, Sursock is pursuing his goal of lasting change. Early Expertise in Tech and Social Growth Since childhood, Sursock has taken an interest in technology and organic social growth. At a young age, he successfully built an audience of 300,000 followers simply by discussing cruise ships. Determined to develop his expertise, Sursock went on to study computer science at Princeton, where he met his business partner and worked to build a variety of creative products. Learning From Duolingo After graduating, Sursock found an opportunity to join Duolingo, where he mastered the science of retention. At the same time, however, he saw how new developments in AI and machine learning (ML) were creating a negative impact in digital spaces. “Machine learning has traditionally been used to get people addicted to things,” Sursock explained, “like doomscrolling on TikTok because their algorithm knows you too well. Now, we’re at a unique point where we can actually use the power of AI not to move people further away from their best self, but actually help them align themselves with their long-term goals and aspirations.” Using Retention for Positive Results Building from his knowledge of social growth and product market intuition, as well as his newfound expertise in retention, Sursock decided to create something better. Together with his Princeton roommate Creston Brooks, he co-founded Luvu, an AI accountability app backed by Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) through the Speedrun accelerator. Within a month, Luvu quickly reached 150,000 beta users. “I’m combining everything I’ve learned, product design, retention psychology, and organic virality, to help people stick with habits,” Sursock stated. “Luvu raised $1,000,000 from Andreessen Horowitz to turn this into a reality.” Manipulation Toward Success Sursock’s Luvu app is designed to motivate users and help them stick to their goals, applying “stickiness” principles sometimes used for addictive algorithms. Using its AI system, Luvu learns about its users and their unique motivational style, positively manipulating them to reach their goals. Equipped with computer vision, Luvu even provides real-time form feedback on users’ workouts to truly hold users accountable. “Luvu is the first app to have a truly immersive AI companion that can hear you, listen to you, talk to you, and see you, creating a truly magical experience that is ultra-retentive and actually gets people to stick to their fitness goals,” Sursock said. Ambition for the Future Through Luvu, Sursock flips addictive algorithms on their head by applying them toward positive growth goals. Moving forward, he hopes to continue using these principles to turn Luvu into a brand synonymous with accountability and personalized motivation. As such, Sursock has become part of a mission to align AI companions toward better serving humanity. “Our sole mission,” Sursock concluded, “is to get hundreds of millions of people to finally do the things they’ve always wanted to do.”
