We build at Inithouse, a studio shipping a growing portfolio of products in parallel. One of them, Verdict Buddy, is an AI conflict mediator that gives an unbiased, framework-based verdict (Gottman, EFT, NVC) on relationship, work, family or roommate conflicts in minutes. It carries a 4.9/5 rating from 290 verdicts so far. Here is what happens when you bring a real roommate dispute to it, step by step.
The dispute: who pays for what
Two roommates share a flat. One earns more and pays the larger share of rent. The other covers most groceries and cleaning supplies. When a big utility bill lands, neither feels responsible. The higher earner says they already pay more. The other says groceries cost just as much over time. Both feel unheard.
This is the kind of conflict that sits in the kitchen for weeks.
What each side types in
Verdict Buddy runs in three modes: Solo, Couple, and Group. For a roommate dispute, Couple mode fits. Each person describes the situation in their own words, separately.
Person A might write: "I pay 60% of rent because I earn more. Now a big electricity bill came and my roommate expects me to cover it too. I feel like I'm already contributing way more."
Person B might write: "I buy all the groceries, cleaning stuff, and household supplies. That adds up to hundreds every month. When a utility bill comes, it should be split equally because we both use electricity."
Neither sees the other's input. The tool takes both perspectives as raw material.
How the report maps the conflict to frameworks
The report that comes back is not a coin flip. It maps the dispute onto four established frameworks:
Gottman Method. The report flags whether any of Gottman's Four Horsemen are present: criticism, contempt, defensiveness, stonewalling. In this case, it identifies defensiveness on both sides. Each person lists their own contributions but does not acknowledge the other's.
Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT). The report looks at the emotional undercurrent. Person A feels taken for granted. Person B feels invisible. The surface argument is about money, but the attachment need is recognition.
Harvard Negotiation. Separates positions from interests. Position A: "I pay more rent." Interest A: fairness proportional to income. Position B: "I cover daily expenses." Interest B: equal recognition of invisible labor. The overlap is where a resolution lives.
Nonviolent Communication (NVC). Translates each side into observation, feeling, need, request. Person A observes the bill, feels burdened, needs equity, and requests proportional splitting. Person B observes daily spending, feels dismissed, needs acknowledgment, and requests transparent tracking.
The whole report comes together in about five minutes, which matters when the alternative is a two-hour argument that ends with someone sleeping on the couch.
What the three actions actually say
Every Verdict Buddy report ends with three concrete actions. Not generic advice, not "communicate better." Specific next steps tied to the input.
For this roommate case, they might look like:
Create a shared expense tracker covering rent, utilities, groceries, and supplies. Total monthly contributions become visible to both sides. The data replaces the guessing.
Set a monthly check-in (15 minutes, same day each month) where both review the tracker and flag anything that feels off. Prevents buildup.
Agree on a splitting principle before the next bill arrives. Options: proportional to income, 50/50 on shared utilities, or hybrid. Pick one, write it down.
These are not generic tips. They come from the framework analysis of this specific input.
Why "perpetual" matters
The Gottman Institute found that 69% of relationship conflicts are perpetual. They do not resolve; they recur. That research shaped how we designed the output at Inithouse.
A tool that pretends every conflict has a neat solution would be dishonest. Verdict Buddy's tension score and action steps are built for the reality that some conflicts will keep coming back. The goal is not to "fix" a disagreement but to give both people a shared language and a structure for the next time it surfaces.
We see the same design logic across our portfolio. Tarotas, our tarot reflection app, is built around daily reflection rather than one-time answers. Here We Ask, a free conversation card game, works because it keeps bringing people back to honest questions. Recurring interaction beats a single fix.
Try it
Verdict Buddy by Inithouse runs at verdictbuddy.com. No signup required. Bring a real conflict, fill in both sides, and see what the frameworks surface. The report is private and encrypted.
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