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Birthing Synths: Building AI Agents with Memory, Voice and Personality

Event artwork for Birthing Synths: Building AI Agents with Memory, Voice and Personality

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About this event

What to expect

Discover how a Newcastle-based startup built autonomous AI agents with personality, memory, and voice—then watched as OpenAI announced the same concept. This candid session at TechNext 2026 takes you inside Frntir's journey to create "Synths," digital humans designed to work alongside real people in business environments.

What You'll Learn

Aidan Dunphy from Frntir will share the unfiltered startup story behind building AI agents that go far beyond predictive models. While big tech companies have created powerful AI, they haven't built digital beings with persistent personas, physical presence, and independent existence. This session reveals how Frntir tackled these challenges—and what happened when a tech giant suddenly announced a competing product with the same name.

Key topics covered:

  • The Attitude: Designing AI agents with persistent personas and genuine autonomy, moving beyond simple chatbot interactions
  • The Diary: The technical complexities of implementing memory systems, including advanced memory techniques and the critical tradeoffs between comprehensive recall and focused attention
  • The Voice: Real-time speech generation and full video rendering, keeping pace with rising expectations for natural, realistic behaviour
  • Being First (Then Not): The reality of innovating ahead of big tech—and adapting when they inevitably catch up

Live Demonstration

You'll meet Alfred, a Frntir Synth, in a live online meeting. See his real-time facial rendering, natural speech cadence, and contextual memory in action. This isn't a pre-recorded demo—it's a genuine interaction showcasing what autonomous AI agents can do today.

Who Should Attend

This session is designed for a broad audience including business leaders evaluating AI implementation, students interested in AI agent development, and tech professionals exploring the future of human-AI collaboration. Whether you're considering building AI products or implementing them in your organisation, you'll gain practical insights from Frntir's experience.

The talk candidly addresses the challenges of choosing bold vision over "me too" products, offering lessons for anyone building in competitive spaces. It's part of the Data and AI Hub at TechNext 2026, taking place June 15-19, 2026 in Newcastle.

[Register for this event](https://www.technext.co.uk/programme/events/birthing-synths-ai-agents-with-attitude-and-a-voice-and-a-diary-

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