Humberto Bastos, a student pursuing a degree in Artificial Intelligence and Data Science, created an AI platform to promote active aging.
Portugal is the second most aged country in Europe, after Italy, and loneliness is a reality that affects thousands of people. With this in mind, Humberto Bastos, a first-year student of the Bachelor’s Degree in Artificial Intelligence and Data Science (L:IACD) at the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Porto (FCUP), created Compy, an Artificial Intelligence platform designed to provide cognitive stimulation to older adults through conversation, with the aim of delaying or preventing the onset of neurodegenerative diseases.
Passionate about AI, the young man from Vale de Cambra wanted to use this technology “in a more human way and with real impact.” While attending a course on Generative AI at Instituto Superior Técnico, he decided to develop the platform and, inspired by his mother’s company, which had recently begun investing in artificial intelligence, he followed his dream and enrolled in L:IACD, a program jointly offered with the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto (FEUP).
Humberto had already applied to the FCUP program once before. He initially enrolled in Industrial Engineering and Management, his second choice, but decided to freeze his enrollment and focus on additional training. “All these experiences strengthened my passion for AI and motivated me to reapply to the program I always wanted, so I could build solid foundations and gain the knowledge needed to develop innovative solutions with strong social impact,” he highlights.
“The more I learn, the more I understand the enormous impact this technology can have on people’s lives. There is still so much to invent and improve, and that motivates me every day. I want to be part of this evolution, leave my mark on the future of technology, and develop solutions that address major challenges,” he stressed in an interview with Jornal de Negócios.
Compy: from U.S. validation to investment
To tackle the problem of loneliness, the FCUP student created a virtual “companion” – hence the name “Compy”, designed “not to form emotional bonds, but to stimulate, accompany, and report in a useful and responsible way.”
Since launching Compy at the beginning of the year, Humberto has had the opportunity to showcase the technology at international events. In February, for example, he presented the application at the AI Cannes World Fair, one of the world’s largest AI-focused events, and over the summer he spent more than a month at an innovation center for aging technologies in Milwaukee, United States, where he presented the concept and validated the technology.
The feedback has been extremely positive, from AI, neuroscience, nursing, and gerontology experts, as well as from the older adults who have already interacted with the prototype.
According to the student, the main focus of the platform is accessibility. For this reason, it will also be developed to run directly on television through the operators’ set-top boxes – the device most familiar to older adults – ensuring that even those without smartphones or digital skills can use Compy using only their voice.
Humberto Bastos is now seeking investors to turn Compy into a reality and hopes to begin pilot testing in social care institutions (IPSS). The goal is to strengthen the team with developers, doctors, and psychologists to combat loneliness and promote active aging. So that no one grows old alone.