Dec. 2, 2025
Building Human Connection With AI Through Family Memories with Jeremy Horne
Send us a text What if your grandparents’ best stories didn’t fade with time—but could talk back when you needed them most? We sit down with founder Jeremy Horne to unpack how a childhood of mailing cassette tapes to his Nana Winny became the blueprint for Winny an app that nudges better questions, records family memories, and helps people build a living archive of their lives. Then we go deeper into Forever You, a conversational avatar that only says what you actually said—anchored by real v...
What if your grandparents’ best stories didn’t fade with time—but could talk back when you needed them most? We sit down with founder Jeremy Horne to unpack how a childhood of mailing cassette tapes to his Nana Winny became the blueprint for Winny an app that nudges better questions, records family memories, and helps people build a living archive of their lives. Then we go deeper into Forever You, a conversational avatar that only says what you actually said—anchored by real video and audio proof.
Jeremy shares how leaving big-brand agency life wasn’t a leap into hype, but a return to purpose: reduce friction, raise the quality of conversation, and make it easy to preserve the stories that define us. You’ll hear how context-aware prompts bridge an 8-year-old and his 80-year-old granddad, why gentle guidance can help autistic family members join in, and how journaling shapes smarter questions over time. We get honest about risk, too: encryption, privacy controls, and the reality that anything digitized carries exposure. The answer isn’t fear; it’s transparency—digital signatures that show who authored an avatar and authenticity scores that link claims back to original recordings.
We also explore the tactile side of memory. QR codes on heirlooms turn a vase into a time capsule, while a “Storopedia” approach makes discovery simple at dinner or across continents. And the horizon is closer than it looks: voice-first experiences, wearables, and assistants that suggest, “Want to record this?” the moment a meaningful call starts. If you care about family history, social health, and designing technology that feels human, this conversation offers a practical, moving roadmap for capturing the people and stories you love.
To learn more, check out Jeremy Horne's website aforementioned in the episode https://foreveryou.life/. Go on your Apple Store to download with Winny App.
Listen now, subscribe for more thoughtful conversations on human connection and tech, and leave a review with the one story you’d want future generations to hear.
02:28 - From Agencies To A Calling
04:59 - Childhood Tapes And Storytelling Roots
09:09 - Legacy, Avatars, And Authenticity
13:55 - Quitting Certainty To Build Connection
18:20 - Designing Winnie For Better Conversations
24:19 - Prompts, Autism, And Bridging Generations
29:21 - How Winnie Learns And Guides
33:41 - Ethics, Deepfakes, And Proof Of Truth
WEBVTT
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Hello everyone and welcome to today's episode of On the Spectrum with Sonya podcast.
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Today we have a very special guest who went from working with very notable brands such as Ford, Ed, and Colgate to becoming a founder of the human and connection company, Winnie being part of it.
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Jeremy Horn, in addition, has created an app that allows families to help preserve memory and have that recorded and saved in a place where they are able to pull up pastime and memorable recollections.
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So without further ado, Jeremy, welcome.
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Thank you, Sonora.
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It's it's a real pleasure to be here.
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Within I would say creative technologies, since I popped out of university way too long ago.
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And over that space of time, I I've been very fortunate to have opportunities that have seen me traveling around the world to Dubai and to the UK and America, and obviously most of that time in Australia, just because that's where I was based.
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But um I've always had this really, really interesting fascination with sharing stories and connecting through stories.
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And I think it goes back to the fact that we were in one of the most secluded cities in the world, in Perth.
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My parents both English, and our grandparents, one was in England, one set in Manchester and England, the other set over in New Zealand.
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We didn't have any cousins near us, it was just me, my sister, and my parents.
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Um, and this is back in the 80s when you you certainly couldn't just hop on a FaceTime chat and see each other.
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That was literally in the future.
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And uh so my mum would have us send audio tapes back and forwards across the oceans, and we'd have these long-running conversations with our grandparents on these audio tapes.
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So you'd obviously have to wait to get their one and then you'd send your one back.
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And it just so happened that my my Nana in Manchester was particularly gifted at just telling stories, and that was life stories and making stories up.
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And her name was Winnie Winifred, which is actually why our very first app we've called Winnie, because it's all about storytelling, and she was the very first person that I ever interviewed about her life stories and actually recorded them.
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So I've just I've always had this interest in connecting through deeper conversations, really, and and more meaningful conversations.
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And that's been this sort of sideline alongside my career.
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And then around five years ago, I was presenting to a group in Utah about the purpose of legacy and storytelling and so on, and how storytelling plays very much into legacy and the importance of recording these stories because, well, one, the conversations are so important.
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And two, what I was saying back then was like it or not, there's gonna be these digital avatars of you, and they're gonna look like you and they're gonna sound like you, and they they're gonna say whatever had they've been kind of programmed and trained to say.
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So you want to start thinking about what your avatar is gonna say and start curating your story so that you can have one that really is an authentic representation of your life and what you know about your parents and what you know about your grandparents, so that all of this plays into your legacy.
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And then lo and behold, all of a sudden, we're in this world where digital avatars have suddenly become very easy and uh and we're really on the cusp of over the next few years, people really will be having these digital avatars.
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And that's that's one of the things that we've created.
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So we've got a couple of products.
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One is called Winnie, which is, as you said earlier, it's all about connecting family and friends more meaningfully.
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And then we've got another one which is called Forever You, which is about turning those stories into these conversational avatars, which um I've actually done now with my mum, who passed away a couple of years ago, but I had so many stories from my mum.
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We now have this conversational ability to speak with my mum.
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And obviously it's not her, but it's incredible what that experience is like, just being able to speak to a digital version of her, which is based on her life experiences and and what we've mapped out around her personality and so on.
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So tell us a little bit about that transition because before you were working with Ford and Eti It and Colgate, what exactly were you doing with those companies?
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And what do you think was the push that led you to become a founder of a human connection company?
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Yeah, so so my my career was all agency side.
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So I would be working with those brands through um an agency that was essentially just giving me opportunities and saying, look, like we need someone with US skills over in Dubai, over in the US, wherever it might be.
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And my my default answer, certainly before we had a kid as well, was always yes.
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Like, like let's take these opportunities to go off and explore the world and take on new challenges.
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It was it was for me just a natural progression of my career.
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But the the transition really was I I've always had an interest in startups, I've always been fairly entrepreneurial in in terms of having things that I'm doing on the side, things, and I think it's so important.
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I think it is really, really important to pursue whatever your creative pursuits might be or whatever your your entrepreneurial pursuits might be.
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I always think it's it makes a lot of sense to carve out time for those things.
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And it just so happened that the one around storytelling gained traction when I was doing that presentation in Utah.
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There were a number of investors in the room.
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A very close friend of mine had actually put the event together.
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Um, and essentially people said, Well, look, like if you want to turn this into a product, then we'll invest.
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And that that was the catalyst.
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So, you know, at that point, it's no longer just a hobby and something I'm interested in doing.
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People are seeing the benefits and the potential benefits of what this is all about, and really investing in me and the idea and helping to bring it to the world.
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So that that really was just too good an opportunity.
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So um, and this was all around the time that we had had our son and I wanted to spend more time with him.
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So it gave me a lot more flexibility creating my own company and doing something I've always been passionate about.
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So you know, I I think a lot of people place too much emphasis on the security and safety of a full-time job.
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I I think it's more of a myth, especially these days, to think that you've got a permanent job and therefore it's it's permanent.
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That's true, you know, 30, 40, 50 years ago in my grandparents' era and even my parents' era to a certain extent.
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But I think we now live in a time when there is no guarantee that you're gonna have a job the next day.
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I I think it is really important if you believe in something and you've got the opportunity and the and the backing and the support to do it.
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I'm a big believer in have a go because, as I think we all know, people regret the things they didn't do as opposed to um perhaps not achieving the things that they had a go at.
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So I I would I would not be able to live with myself knowing that there is something that I love doing, I'm really passionate about doing, and I've been given an opportunity to do it, and then not to take that just because it it feels risky.
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So and I I kind of thrive on risk, to be honest.
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I got a wife who who uh who will back me in those pursuits.
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So uh it's everything, everything sort of fell into place.
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Well, like the saying goes, without risk, there's no reward, right?
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So I mean, you know, it's a that's true of any aspect of life, is we always have taking a risk in one way or another with things we pursue, right?
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And a big part of uh going into your entrepreneurial work was that concept of the digital you.
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How do you feel like that digital you is playing out in terms of social connections with one another, human relationships, family can communications and connections?
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Like, how do you feel like that all plays out?
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Yeah, so so the way that we're approaching that is the the human connection is the piece, right?
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So the company is called the human connection company because that's what we're focused on.
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So really the goal is to have people having more meaningful conversations.
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And and the reason why that's important is because I've interviewed hundreds of people about their life stories, and I've had friends ask me to interview their parents and their grandparents.
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Um, and I've I've experienced the report that you build when you sit down with someone, you look them in the eye, and you take a genuine interest in their lives.
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And it's not something that we're doing enough of these days.
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It's just for a number of reasons.
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There are so many things trying to gain our attention.
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I mean, some people call it the attention economy, and there are so many other things that are trying to pull us away.
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And I suffer from it as well.
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I mean, I I want to be very present with my son and my family, but I I find sometimes I catch myself and that here I am, I'm with my son, but I'm staring at my phone because something's pinged me or something important has come up.
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So being intentional about carving out some time and being intentional about the questions that you're going to ask the other person is so important.
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And that's what we've really set out to build with Winnie is providing an experience that that really gives you some nudges about the sorts of questions to ask.
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Um, and that's the bit that we're most interested in because it's the human connection that then gives you the option to record the stories that come out of that.
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And then if you want, you have the option to convert those stories into your own digital avatar of yourself.
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Um and then you can use it for all number of things.
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Eventually, my one will outlive me, and it will be that version of me that my great-great-grandkids get to meet and get to know.
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But right now, it's one that I can even journal with.
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So I can I can tour it with me, and I'm like, all right, well, you had so much confidence when you were 20.
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What was it, you know, what was driving you?
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Like what was what was going on in your life at that point in time?
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And I can bounce some of these concepts around with me, which is surreal, but surprisingly rewarding.
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And that's you know, that's that's part of the experience.
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But it's it's optional.
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The thing that I really want people to do is to make time to have a conversation with the people they care about in their lives.
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And we're just trying to provide the tools to help those conversations be more meaningful.
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And if they want, record those stories because I'm yet to meet anyone who regrets recording their parents.
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And I've met plenty of people who say to me, geez, I really wish that I had recorded my parents or my grandparents, and I don't have that opportunity anymore.
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So that that's that's the one thing where I do sound like a broken record.
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I'm like, just record them.
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Like use the Winnie app because it was set up for that.
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But if you if you like, however you do it, just capture it because you will never regret having audios of your parents or you know, better yet, videos of your parents as well.
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How do we distinguish then between using that app from given those tools to help you in prompting questions and prompting communication cues to then people becoming over-reliant on it, right?
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Is it possible that it could be a double-edged sword?
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Because on one hand, yes, you're giving people that opportunity for parents to be recorded, the questions being cued, that makes it easier for people to come up with ideas for conversations versus what happens if, God forbid, this should crash, right?
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Or we should have a big blackout in technology and people had become now at that point over reliant.
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Yeah, that that doesn't concern me as much, to be honest.
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I I think there's like any everything's never all good or all bad.
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So there is always a risk of it being used in a way that is no longer beneficial or no longer healthy.
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There's always a risk of that.
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But I think the upside of encouraging people to have those better conversations and really helping them out.
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I mean, um, I actually had a friend who, one of his family members um, is autistic, and he said experience is that sometimes they need a bit of a helping hand to actually know what question to ask in order to generate that conversation.
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So he was really enjoying it as a tool just to help help his family member engage in those conversations and kind of have some confidence around the questions.
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I mean, the the way that it works is the more it knows about me, the more it knows about my dad, my sister, and so on, then the more guided it can be about the sort of question to ask.
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So it's not going to ask my sister a question like, How did you meet mum?
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But it's going to ask me to ask that question to my dad, like, how did you meet mum?
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And what was your first thought?
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You know, in my mum's case, what were you first thinking when you met my dad?
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And then another great example is when my dad, who's 80 and my son, who's eight, when they hop on the phone, my dad's an amazing conversationalist, and my son never stops talking, except when he gets on the phone to have a chat with somebody else.
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And so we use the Winnie app to help my dad be cued on a question about something that's of interest to my son.
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So right now he's going through a Pokemon phase.
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So one of the questions that'll pop up is why do you ask Theo what his favorite Pokemon card is?
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So your dad'll ask that, and suddenly Theo's face lights up because he's talking about a topic that he loves.
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And in my dad's case, it'll be like, hey dad, what was my son, what was my dad, Jeremy, like as a kid?
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What was he like when he was eight?
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So those contextual questions just help a conversation to flow where they may not have flowed particularly well, just kind of left to their own devices.
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But but yeah, I'm I'm not I'm not really worried about people becoming a crux about it.
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I'm hoping that it's a tool that helps people naturally get better at it anyway, really.
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So when people go on the app, how does it know?
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Like, is there a like a questionnaire that people will fill out so that the app kind of knows how to guide somebody in asking the questions?
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Like, what is the whole process when somebody uh goes into the app?
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Well, yeah, I mean, it basically the more you share about yourself, the more it knows about you.
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So you're not kind of onboarding with a with a whole bunch of questions.
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You're journally into it.
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So it'll ask you a question about what was it like growing up.
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There could be another journaling question, which is what are you really interested in at the moment?
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And by asking those questions, then it starts learning about you, and therefore, then it it knows what sorts of questions to surface across a relationship.
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And that's the other thing.
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It's not just a case of saying, well, this is what I know about Jeremy asking these questions.
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There's also some context to the relationship with the person you're talking to.
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So again, it's it's going to suggest a question that's relevant to an eight-year-old boy to ask an 80-year-old granddad versus what question my son might be prompted to ask one of his friends.
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And and it, we haven't really set it up for that, that sort of age group, but that's the the point of it is depending on the relationship.
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So if it knows that I'm having a conversation with one of my university friends, then it's going to be a very different sort of context relationship that it's going to suggest around as opposed to my sister, or if I'm just journaling with myself.
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So but yeah, it's it's I mean, this is the beauty of the world we live in now.
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Like AI is giving us all of these opportunities to to create these tools that we just we just did not have even a couple of years ago, and and all of a sudden this technology is is removing a lot of friction around how we how we would otherwise create these experiences.
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Now I know off camera, you have said wanted us to ask you about the ethical aspects of AI and what potential ethical concerns that could be foreseen with this.
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Is there anything that you have given thought to in terms of more AI related issues and having having those past conversations and you even mentioning that you're still able to have conversation in some way even with those who have deceased?
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Do you see like how need like any potential in that area with AI?
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I see I see a lot of uh potential issues around AI.
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And and certainly in the space where we're using AI to replicate humans, there's all sorts of places where that can go horribly wrong.
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So the really big aspect of this that we're we're focusing on is the authenticity.
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So what I want to do is make sure that there is complete transparency around everybody who is creating a forever you avatar.
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And what we mean by that is it's a little bit like creating your biography.
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So if you wrote your own biography, you would sign that biography and say, this was written by me.
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And now this is the version of my life that I'm happy to have out there in the world, or somebody else might write it and um do it about you.
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And then the question is, well, who are they and what right do they have to write about you?
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So I might write one about my mum because I'm her son.
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And anyone reading that would say, all right, well, he probably has a pretty good idea of what his mom was like and what sort of life experiences she had.
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Likewise, if my dad wrote it about her.
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So so we're doing a similar sort of thing.
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The idea that you can digitally sign your own Forever You Avatar and say, yeah, actually, this is a version of me that I've invested in.
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I've recorded stories.
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I'm happy with all the all the stories and the kind of personality profile that defines my Forever You.
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And literally, you can see that it's been digitally signed by that person or by somebody else who wrote it or created it, so to speak.
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So in my mum's case, she was happy for us to do this for her, but she wasn't around to see the bit where we actually launched it.
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So it's digitally signed by me, my dad, and my sister, which gives it a lot more validity than if it was just some random person who had spun up a version of my mum who really has no direct connection back to her.
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So there's that aspect of it, which I think is really important, the transparency piece and giving people control over it.
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And then the other one is what literally you have an authenticity score.
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So if I'm chatting with somebody's Forever You Avatar, you can actually see their answer in terms of this authenticity score.
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And by that we mean, did they really say whatever it is that they're saying right now?
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So if I said to my mom, what are you most proud of?
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And she said, Well, I'm really proud of my kids, then there is a video of my mom saying exactly that.
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I'm really proud of my kids.
00:19:46.039 --> 00:19:54.920
So when I taught with her digital, sorry, with her Forever You Avatar, I can then click on a link that will show that video where she said exactly that.
00:19:55.000 --> 00:19:59.320
So again, just having that authenticity, I think, is is the really key piece to it.
00:19:59.400 --> 00:20:13.480
Because otherwise, we're in a world now with deep fakes and and you can bring a photo to life with no effort at all, and you can have that person say whatever you want them to say, but there's no way to know for sure if they did say that.
00:20:13.560 --> 00:20:16.759
And that's really the piece that we're we're focused on with authenticity.
00:20:16.840 --> 00:20:33.320
And I want to know that when my great-great-grandkids are speaking with me, that they have trust that it's a version of me that I essentially approved, and that it's they can see that I did say those things because they'll be able to see the uh, yeah, what is essentially reference files that uh that have me saying those things.
00:20:33.560 --> 00:20:39.880
So, how do you go about with transparency, authenticity?
00:20:40.039 --> 00:20:43.160
Like, how is it checked, you know, in this app?
00:20:43.960 --> 00:20:45.960
Because I do feel like it's a very interesting app.
00:20:46.120 --> 00:20:59.640
I do think that it's gonna be very useful, and especially for those of us still fortunate to have older parents who are living and people are living longer thanks to the grace of medicine and technology.
00:20:59.880 --> 00:21:00.920
How is it like checked?
00:21:01.000 --> 00:21:09.480
You know, and I'm pretty sure, you know, this is probably interest people would want to know is you know, how is that gonna be how's the validity checked?
00:21:09.560 --> 00:21:12.120
How's the transparency, you know, check?
00:21:12.360 --> 00:21:16.519
What are the security protocols and things like that to make sure people are protected?
00:21:16.840 --> 00:21:29.880
Yeah, well, I mean, this is why I again I I go back to the importance of having these meaningful conversations with people you care about, because one, those conversations, like everyone walks away from them feeling good.
00:21:30.039 --> 00:21:33.400
So that that in itself is already a win, even if you don't record it.
00:21:33.560 --> 00:21:38.440
But if you do record it, then we're recording it into a way that it's secured on the blockchain.
00:21:38.519 --> 00:21:44.279
So we've got what we call military grade encryption, which is really as good as you can do in this day and age.
00:21:44.440 --> 00:21:51.160
So I think the flip side to all of this is anything that essentially you digitize, there is a risk.
00:21:51.240 --> 00:21:51.880
Like there is a risk.
00:21:51.960 --> 00:21:57.640
And we've seen this play out across a number of brands who have been hacked at various levels.
00:21:57.799 --> 00:22:08.120
So I always say, like, whatever you're going to record, make sure it's something that if it did end up for whatever reason in the public domain, you're you're comfortable with what that might be.
00:22:08.279 --> 00:22:10.600
Now we we give you all sorts of privacy controls.
00:22:10.680 --> 00:22:14.519
So when I'm speaking with my mom, I essentially authenticate as me.
00:22:14.600 --> 00:22:16.279
So she knows it's her son.
00:22:16.600 --> 00:22:25.320
If she's talking with somebody else who may not be authenticated, it might just be a general conversation, then there's certain things they're just not going to be able to ask her.
00:22:25.400 --> 00:22:28.840
So they could ask and she'll say, Well, actually, I only share that with my family.
00:22:29.080 --> 00:22:35.560
So you have controls over what your avatar will be able to say and who they'll be able to say those things to.
00:22:35.640 --> 00:22:37.240
So all of those things are important.
00:22:37.320 --> 00:22:45.560
But the most important piece really is do we have a video or an audio of you saying whatever it is that your avatar is saying?
00:22:45.640 --> 00:22:49.960
And if we don't have that, then you're not going to have a particularly rich experience.
00:22:50.039 --> 00:22:59.480
Like, like when someone is chatting with your digital avatar, there's only so many things that you're going to be able to say because we've only got so much source content that goes back to you saying that.
00:22:59.640 --> 00:23:04.759
So that's why I'm always encouraging people to start that process now, especially.
00:23:04.840 --> 00:23:11.000
And look, the really interesting thing is everyone says, Oh, wow, I'd love this for my parents, but I'm not so sure about me.
00:23:11.160 --> 00:23:14.120
And it's, you know, and then I say, well, this is the problem.
00:23:14.279 --> 00:23:21.000
Like you need to understand that your kids and your great-great-grandkids would love you to do this as well.
00:23:21.160 --> 00:23:31.080
So a lot of people join the dots on capturing their parents, but they don't necessarily join the dots on why it's important to do it themselves for their future generations.
00:23:31.160 --> 00:23:36.120
And one of the things we're doing is is really heavily leaning into that whole journaling piece.
00:23:36.200 --> 00:23:37.720
That that seems to be one of the key on locks.
00:23:37.960 --> 00:23:42.279
People do like the idea of being able to sort of bounce ideas around with themselves.
00:23:42.440 --> 00:23:47.480
And and if you keep a journal, which I do on and off, when I do it, I love doing it.
00:23:47.560 --> 00:23:49.640
And then I sort of fall out of the habit.
00:23:49.720 --> 00:23:53.080
But I find it very hard to sort of flick back and find things I'm looking for.
00:23:53.160 --> 00:23:58.680
So the idea that I can just say, hey, Jeremy, like what were you thinking a couple of months ago when this happened?
00:23:58.759 --> 00:24:00.840
And then I can engage in a conversation with myself.
00:24:01.000 --> 00:24:04.759
Like I said earlier, it's it's surreal, but it's actually really, really useful.
00:24:05.000 --> 00:24:09.880
What has been the best feedback you've gotten from people who've used the app so far?
00:24:10.279 --> 00:24:13.080
Well, generally it's a wow sort of response.
00:24:13.240 --> 00:24:21.240
I mean, I I'd like I'd probably say 50% of the people who I've spoken with um have been in tears.
00:24:21.400 --> 00:24:24.200
I'm talking specifically about the Forever You experience.
00:24:24.360 --> 00:24:29.480
So for anyone who knew my mom, and just just to um sort of explain where we're at with that.
00:24:29.560 --> 00:24:32.759
So we've got a prototype of the Forever You.
00:24:33.160 --> 00:24:36.920
We've created one prototype which is based on my mum, just because we had so many stories.
00:24:37.080 --> 00:24:39.240
We've created another one with me and another one with my dad.
00:24:39.320 --> 00:24:48.039
So I've sort of started with my family because it also just means that we've got ownership overall of that content and we can refine the models and so on and so on.
00:24:48.120 --> 00:25:03.480
But yeah, though those people who knew my mom and and have spoken with her digital version, I'd say at least half of them have just cried because it is a really emotional experience, even though you know it's not her, and it's very clear, like she'll say, Look, this isn't me.
00:25:03.640 --> 00:25:06.680
This is my stories in a conversational experience.
00:25:06.759 --> 00:25:12.200
So it's not trying to deceive you in any way, but it's it's a very, very powerful experience.
00:25:12.360 --> 00:25:17.480
And then the Winnie app, where, as I said, we're essentially capturing those stories.
00:25:17.720 --> 00:25:23.640
Um, people people just love the idea of how do I have better conversations with people?
00:25:23.720 --> 00:25:28.920
And and look, I mean, that there's an element of it which is just helping people to build stronger relationships.
00:25:29.000 --> 00:25:31.560
I I don't know whether you've heard the notion of social health.
00:25:32.120 --> 00:25:41.080
Yeah, I latched onto this as soon as I heard it, which was probably a couple of years ago now, and it just it it really allowed me to frame the big picture in terms of what we're doing.
00:25:41.400 --> 00:25:47.640
We're really addressing social health, we're we're tackling an element of what really is this loneliness pandemic.
00:25:47.799 --> 00:25:55.000
And the idea that you've got your physical health and your mental health, and this third pillar, which is social health, seems to be catching on.
00:25:55.160 --> 00:26:00.840
In the past, it was kind of wrapped up with mental health, but it but it now kind of has its own stage, so to speak.
00:26:01.000 --> 00:26:05.240
And I think people are really starting to see the benefit of whatever it might be.
00:26:05.320 --> 00:26:06.759
I mean, I call them experiences.
00:26:06.840 --> 00:26:09.720
In this case, it's a technical experience using an app.
00:26:09.880 --> 00:26:18.279
We've also got physical conversation cards, which you literally just put on the dinner table, and when you're having dinner or after dinner, you pull out the cards and it encourages people to ask questions.
00:26:18.360 --> 00:26:22.120
It's got a QR code, so you can scan those stories back into the app if you want to do that.
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