The Sigmund Project: Collaborative, Multidisciplinary Development Driven by Expertise and Innovation

The development of Sigmund was a truly global and multidisciplinary effort, with numerous experts contributing from various fields and corners of the world. The project drew upon the knowledge and skills of individuals from administration, financing, algorithm development, programming, data science, and testing. A critical component of the project’s success was the collection of personal, consistent, de-identified data from participants across diverse demographics, which helped ensure a comprehensive and representative reference dataset.

A significant number of psychiatric professionals were involved, offering their expertise in the form of relevance-scoring of mental condition-related questions/answers, and diagnoses of mental health conditions for a significant portion of the project’s participants. Most of these experts did not know each other. This “anonymized” collaborative approach was designed to ensure the project remained as unbiased and distributed as possible. The aim was to gather diverse perspectives while avoiding any potential for undue influence or preconceptions in the development process.

At the helm of Sigmund is James Durward, the originator and driving force behind the project. With decades of experience in technical product development, financing, and data science (including applied AI/machine-learning), James has played a central role in every aspect of Sigmund’s creation. His expertise spans custom database architecture, image analysis, and pattern recognition algorithms, as well as experience in product conceptualization and development. James holds multiple patents, including innovations in three-dimensional, multi-user voice processing and advanced thermodynamic extraction technologies, demonstrating a deep understanding of complex systems and cutting-edge technology. Sigmund was developed over a four-year period at a multi-million dollar cost.