What is AlterEgo?

Diversity of thought has been shown to provide substantial benefit in a number of settings. In organizations & groups, this is often elicited through group decision-making. On an individual level, many of the same benefits can be achieved by acknowledging several diverse perspectives. Unfortunately, as today's internet content becomes increasingly personalized, the multitude of perspectives to which one is exposed naturally declines. AlterEgo aims to address this limitation by introducing individuals to their diverse "complement in the room." Based on concepts of industry standard Big 5 personality psychology, our flagship product presents users with a simple survey designed to assess one's personality and interest preferences. Using this input and a group identifier, our software analyzes the input and uses a Greedy Optimization algorithm to identify potential "AlterEgos" in a particular setting (such as an office, conference, or classroom). These "AlterEgo" individuals, selected to have complementary tastes on non-polarizing dimensions, are then presented to users, along with a graphical representation of their "Big 5" personality profile. Based upon industry research, connecting with this individual, even for a brief period of time, will likely result in broadened horizons, new perspectives, and increased creativity for both individuals. This is confirmed through a post-identification feedback survey, which asks users to rate the value of connecting with their AlterEgo for verification and continuous improvement.