It was the not far summer of 2011 when I (an entrepreneur with Artificial Intelligence and Virtual Assistant expertise) met, for the first time, Fabrizio Gramuglio (it.linkedin.com/in/gramuglio/) a well known expert in speech recognition technology,
Fabrizio introduced himself subjecting a “crazy” idea: to develop a product that would be able to create realistic digital persona able to preserve, enrich and externalize their feelings, memories, passions and able to discuss it with humans in flesh and blood.
Who does not remember the hologram of Princess Leia speaking with Obi Wan Kenobi in the first (fourth ..) episode of Star Wars?
Who does not nor has been, in some way, fascinated, as if that technology was enough to put the events of the future science fiction ever craved?
Our folly aims to make this real, but much, much more realistic: our digital person would feel emotions, can talk, can take decisions basednot only on AI (Artificial Intelligence) mechanism, but also according to their own ethical values, moral and emotions. “According to his conscience”, as we may say.
A real “digital double” that flashed into Fabrizio mind for at least 10 years, waiting and working to ensure that technologies become mature enough to be mating our skills and, finally, create Forever (http: //www.foreverproject .com /).
Just a few days after the first meeting, Fabrizio already sent me an email with a first hypothesis of the project architecture. It was August, and we wrapped up the heat, we started to develop Gantt, Business Model and Business Plan to present our full project to Innovation Factory (http://www.innovationfactory.it/), incubator Area Science Park of Trieste.
When I think back to those days, I can only wonder, smiling, how come we have not been kicked out after the first 5 minutes, but, unexpectedly, Innovation Factory offered us all the time we needed to expose and motivate as the project as the several underlying that were gradually forming.
For the duration of the incubation phase, Innovation Factory supported us financially and morally, although honestly they confessed us that one of the reason that led them to espouse our cause was nothing more than “maybe they are crazy but if they areright … “
And then the dancing began: BP, Scientific Committee (http://www.foreverproject.it/scientific-committee/) high-profile Advisors International (http://www.foreverproject.it/advisors/) patents, HSI prototype. After just over a year we had it all: the feasibility, financials and a prototype to show. Despite our participations in important Italian tenders where we reached the final stage, we collected only different slaps on the back, because we were “not common”, or “too daringly brilliant.”
So we decided to packed up andleft with the last remaining money for New York, to present our project Forever to Private Equity Forum. The atmosphere, there, appeared completely different now: “being uncommon” did not appear to be an issue, but, following the American pragmatism, they wanted to touch the project! Once we found the Advisors, they locked us in a room for three days to “split our hairs”.
All this led us to the end of 2013, the Company was born in the United States; patents were filed, business plan revised, and with new contacts and opportunities in front of us: from The hub of the Singularity University to Susan Jewell of ISMC (International Space Medicine Consortium) (http://www.spacemedicineconsortium.com/) towards Mars to participate in the construction of the first space medical station medical as well as other interesting opportunities.
As true precursors of the future, we have been recruited, in fact, from the ISMC for two different products: the Virtual Doctor Assistance (VDA) (http://www.spacemedicineconsortium.com/research/space-psychology-neurology/), a medical support Virtual Persona for space missions. Andthe Virtual Spiritual Assistance (VSA) to create an immersive environment that can meet the needs of the mission crew from both psychological and emotional points of view.
At the same time we are keeping a glimpse into the past with the initiative Genius Rebirth (http://www.foreverproject.it/genius-rebirth-documentary-series-agreement…): TV series / TV documentary focuses on the reconstruction process of a digital identity of historical figures. The first episode will be about Leonardo da Vinci
The Leonardo trailer (made by Zenit Audiovisi, an Italian independent producer), was presented to European TV networks during the “Sunny Side of the Doc” last July, and in September will be presented officially to the American television networks.
Perhaps we neglected to seek an investor, in order to give priority to the market and the development of our utopias, but we have already achieved a result: no one considers us as “crazy persons”.
Giorgio Manfredi is Forever co-founder
