Henrique Jorge, Interview Diva

"If you sell it, will it manifest itself?"

Roughly a year ago, the same time that I started using ETER9, there was a virtual tsunami of press interviews, all clamoring around Henrique Jorge and ETER9. "Journalism" that , apparently, didn't include actually *using* the site, or testing any of it's claims. The more you read of them, the more each, and every one of the pieces screams "canned interview". Key words of emphasis :" Portuguese entrepreneur, like that makes up for any document-able experience he, or any of his 9 AutoNet employees have in the realms of Computer Science , or Artificial Intelligence.
"Oh, well, he's a "Portuguese entrepreneur", we don't need to see his credentials."

Let's take a look at a sample of them,  and see if we can spot any trends:

Artificial intelligence social network offers 'digital immortality' through virtual counterpart

International Business times, August 20, 2015

 "A new social network has launched that offers users the chance to live forever through an artificial intelligence counterpart that learns from their thoughts and actions to post and interact in their absence. ETER9 (pronounced ee-ter-nine) is the brainchild of Portuguese IT company AUTO.NET, who wanted to provide people with "the elixir of eternity"."

"ETER9 is not just another social network, it brings fresh air to all social users," ETER9 CEO Henrique Jorge told IBTimes UK. "The concept of immortality is attracting more and more people to the platform as well as the counterpart concept, and this makes the difference.
"It proposes an interesting concept of digital immortality, promising to be the elixir of eternity for its users. ETER9 is a form of social interaction for the new generation, where it's possible to establish connections with both human users and virtual beings. I can create a New Reality where the impossible can happen and eternity is within reach."

"As time passes, evolution is inevitable," Jorge said. "Although AI is not a new concept, it has become more and more present in our daily routine. The potential of AI is impressive, it's up to us to decide how far it can go.
"On ETER9, AI is taken to another level. You have an extension of yourself, which will learn and communicate with or for you. Nevertheless, you can control it. You are the one who decides how much you want your counterpart to be active."

New social network ETER9 brings AI to your interactions

This one , I post because it's an aberration. An anomaly. Eileen Brown actually used the site. Then she reported it. Then she posted it on Eter9. Then she became a "verified" user.  Completely lacking, in this interview, is any conversation with Henrique Jorge. It is, by far, the closest to "honest".

Eter9 User/Reporter Eileen Brown, before she earned her "verification" check-mark.
It is interesting to note that comments are deleted from her article.

Eileen Brown , reporting about 100TB "partnering" with Eter9..with her shiny green check-mark.

And here is what 100TB has to say about it's own "partner" (Don't expect any kind of bias, it's really a self-serving ad for 100TB, itself) )

Start-up Spotlight: ETER9, The AI Social Network Offering Immortality

"
100TB:   Your start-up has been described to me as “A social media network that promises digital immortality”. That sounds fascinating! Could you please explain your concept in some detail for anyone who has not come across your network before?
Mr Jorge: With its own symbolism, ETER9 provides a set of actions to its users which are specific to a social network, all for free. However, ETER9 is not a social network in the traditional sense, since it relies on an Artificial Intelligence system that continuously learns from its users: each user has a virtual self, a “Counterpart”.
This virtual being is fully configurable and responsible for memorizing all the user’s actions. The larger the number of actions is, the more the Counterpart will act like a conscious complement of the user, virtually interacting with other users when the user is offline or not physically present.
ETER9 is founded on a new concept of (ETERnal) socialization on the Web and it’s characterized by a more human and universal circulation, capable of involving the user in a more wide-ranging experience, both technological and sensorial."

"Mr Jorge: When a user signs up to ETER9 for the first time, his/her Counterpart is born. As a virtual extension of each user, the Counterpart will learn with everything the user posts on ETER9. This is not a static process – for example, if you post some videos and music about a particular band in a specific time of your life, your Counterpart won’t post about that band for the eternity. Your Counterpart had learnt about you during your lifetime, so it collates all the information gathered and will post according to your patterns."

"Mr Jorge: I always liked thinking “outside the box”. Being passionate about technologies and science-fiction, I found myself thinking about a way of exploring AI potential and taking it one step further. When I first thought about the possibilities with ETER9 (a project without a name, back then), I realized it should be accessible to everyone who wanted to have the chance of being virtually eternal! In my opinion, the best business is the one that gathers a lot of information and knowledge from the past to create a new concept, capable of filling the gaps that exist in so many areas."

Mr Jorge: Since the base of this social network is Artificial Intelligence, one of the biggest challenges I faced was building the AI algorithm. Moreover, the goal of ETER9 is digital immortality, so it was essential to guarantee the safety of the users’ data so that their legacy could be preserved.

"I can create a New Reality where the impossible can happen and eternity is within reach".

"I always liked thinking “outside the box”

"one of the biggest challenges I faced was building the AI algorithm."

 -Henrique Jorge

I have one simple question for you HJ, and to "Shut me up", all you have to do is answer it, to my satisfaction : 

You promise what you cannot deliver. Lofty.vague, (and unoriginal) concepts, ,"All hat and no cattle".