Grand Rapids, MI & Lansing, MI – Tuesday Feb. 25, 2025
Two Michigan-based tech innovators, Everfriends.ai and VERN AI, are coming together to represent Michigan at the largest technology and cultural festival in the world, SXSW in Austin, TX, March 6-12, 2025. Both companies have been invited to attend and showcase their groundbreaking work in the AI space.
Dan Hungerford, founder of Everfriends.ai in Grand Rapids, is revolutionizing the way we think about social connection, particularly for individuals experiencing loneliness. With the rise of AI-powered companions, Everfriends.ai provides an accessible, human-like avatar that interacts with users, offering both companionship and assistance. The company’s mission is to help people, particularly the elderly and those with disabilities, combat isolation and receive the monitoring and support they need.
Craig Tucker, founder of VERN AI in Lansing, is tackling the complex challenge of emotion detection in AI systems. VERN AI’s Emotion Recognition System (ERS) enables computers to understand real-time emotions—such as joy, sadness, anger, and fear—helping businesses and healthcare providers respond with genuine empathy. VERN AI has already gained national recognition for its AI innovations and will represent not only Lansing for LEAP but also the state of Michigan at the SXSW event. Craig is a resident of West Michigan.
Both will be at the event and attending Midwest House events.
As part of their SXSW presentation, Everfriends.ai and VERN AI are teaming up for a demonstration of Everfriends’ AI companion—an advanced, photo-realistic avatar powered by VERN AI’s emotion recognition system. The AI companion can engage in conversations with users, helping reduce loneliness and improving well-being for those in need. Visitors will be able to see first-hand how the technology works and its potential impact on elderly users and individuals with disabilities.
Press Availability:
Everfriends.ai and VERN AI will be available for demos by appointment on Thursday, February 27th, from 9:00 am – 12:00 pm and all day on Friday, February 28th at the MSU Tech Center in downtown Grand Rapids. These live demonstrations will showcase the real-time emotion recognition and AI companionship capabilities that have the potential to enhance lives across industries.
About Everfriends.ai
Everfriends.ai is a Grand Rapids-based company on a mission to fight loneliness with cutting-edge technology. By creating photo-real avatars powered by conversational AI, Everfriends helps individuals receive companionship, support, and monitoring—especially for those who are elderly or live with disabilities.
About VERN AI
VERN AI, founded in Lansing, MI, is an innovative leader in emotion recognition technology, revolutionizing how AI understands human emotions. With its Emotion Recognition System (ERS), VERN AI helps businesses, healthcare providers, and AI companions engage with users through empathy and real-time emotional awareness.
For more information, or to schedule an interview or demo with Everfriends.ai or VERN AI, please contact:
Craig Tucker
VERN AI
[email protected] |
Dan Hungerford
Everfriends.ai
[email protected] |
