Frasil incorporated in 2010 to commercialise AI technology in the area of disability software to provide solutions for PLWD, disability service providers and 24/7 research for other stakeholders, including government.
Fran Killoway has had a 20-year career in the AI area, including periods working with BCG on AI theories, a large US defense company, Oracle and several other large multinational corporations. She returned from a 3-year long personal break in 2010 to seek to relate her theories and knowledge of AI to provide solutions for PLWD.
At 68, Fran continues to serve the disabled population by helping them maintain a quality of life despite crippling, permanent ailments that hinders them from everyday tasks that form a part of her existence. Fran says, “Every successful entrepreneur starts somewhere. If you believe something, then follow that belief with passion and persistence. I am just starting to understand how little I really know.”
Networking forms a big part of her life. “I think the most important thing for everyone to remember is that success is measured by yourself and what you set out to achieve. The greatest thing any entrepreneur can achieve is to ensure that people know the benefits of who you are, and what you have to offer.“
At Frasil, the vision for the disabled community is to provide an intuitive tool that will create a safe and connected world of reduced isolation, and dramatically increase the ability to communicate with their friends, family, and support workers. . To Fran, “people living with disability are just people.”
Frasil runs a very small team consisting of successful and strong individuals. More than an employer-employee relationship, the focus is on collaboration. “Collaboration provides strategic and operational leadership that aids goal setting, strategy development and implementation.
But how do you combine AI with empathy to serve the differently abled? The answer is creativity. Fran is an out of the box thinker. “While everyone at Frasil is living on different timelines on their journey through life, they look up to leaders for guidance and advice.” Fran’s focus on the quality of communication with a strong sense of integrity is an important characteristic for a leader to possess and thus integrate an open door policy at Frasil.
Her take on leadership is pretty straightforward. “It is important to be simple and direct for people to listen, understand, and encourage input throughout the different teams at Frasil. It is important to remain transparent for everyone at Frasil to understand the values of trust and understanding to build the best team of managers and employees to provide people living with disability the best of what Frasil has to offer. “
“Technological advances to the system will be driven by the needs and desires of our users. Intelligent Humanoids such as Frasil’s are just the beginning of technology empowering people living with disability. ”
When asked about what Fran could change about technology, Fran says, “I would absolutely change the security and safety of technology today. It is important for everyone around the world to be connected and feel safe with the technology they are using. I believe that technology should be designed to have a process that will customise to the user’s needs and safety, allowing them to be successful and effective communicators in their community.”
Alongside several new features for Frasil, Fran is also working on another app called meka. With this product, Fran aims to address the issues of online child protection on popular social media sites as well as the gory websites. In addition to respecting the user’s privacy, the app will send real-time alerts to the children and parents when a threat is present. The AI behind the technology determines the level of threat that is present.
Clearly, Frasil has many more lands to conquer and Fran has a few more accomplishments to claim while she solves a few more grave problems that exist in our society.
