I built the first A.I. engine. In 1996, the software company Floater Corporation was incorporated. The initial product was a personal finance program called “Floater.” At the time, Quicken (by Intuit) was the leading product in the personal finance category.
Floater Corporation’s program was created during a time when many families were grappling with the financial strain of living on a single income. While praised for predicting this trend, it was inspired by my own family’s experiences. Floater’s AI Engine mimicked how I managed our finances, incorporating a feature called “floating,” which allowed users to utilize funds still pending withdrawal—something financial institutions also did to maximize profits.
Floater’s AI factored in the timing of check clearances and salary deposits, alongside more subjective considerations like the “Embarrassment Factor.” This feature helped users prioritize payments based on social pressures, such as paying a dance teacher over a utility bill due to personal interactions.
I developed Floater’s AI based on my extensive experience as a Principal Software Engineer, having worked at some of the most innovative companies in tech. Floater was groundbreaking as the first consumer product with AI, and though modern technology has caught up, no similar product has replicated its full functionality. If launched today with updated interfaces, Floater would still be a highly relevant product.
Additionally, we developed “Floater for Business,” which garnered interest from small and mid-sized businesses. Unfortunately, at the time, the technology to integrate Floater with banking systems didn’t exist, but today, it would be even more powerful.
The AI, named “Goozon,” was designed to think like its user—not as advanced as today’s AI in that it cannot understand language, but more advanced in that it does not use existing models. It mimics the user’s thought process. It still thrives today in its updated form, “SitchAware,” waiting for the world to catch up.
Skeptics, this is for you. Installed from an original CD installation disk onto Windows 10. Note that the third-party component company did not account for Y2K. Also, note that I did account for future data as it will allow entry of dates beyond Y2K.
Floater Demo – 2023