ABOUT
A room, a question, and people who'd
never been asked.
Duologue started with a simple conversation. We sat down with people leaving prison and asked what they actually needed. Their answers shaped everything that came after.
OUR VISION
A world where information equity empowers every individual facing systemic barriers.
OUR MISSION
"Ethical AI companions that serve as lifeboats in an ocean of information, connecting people with personalised, trauma-informed support exactly when and how they need it."
Through accessible conversational systems built for real-world challenges, we transform how populations access resources, reducing barriers through 24/7 support that scales human-centred care beyond the limitations of traditional systems.
OUR PRINCIPLES
The fundamental beliefs our work is built on.
Radical Accessibility
Support should meet people where they are, without requiring specialised technology, consistent internet access, or complex navigation. If the system only works for people who already have advantages, it has failed its purpose.
Personalisation with Purpose
Each person's journey is unique. Technology should adapt to individual needs, literacy level, language, neurodivergence, and trauma history while maintaining consistent quality of information across every interaction.
Ethics by Design
Responsible AI development means building systems with clear boundaries, privacy protection, and personalized approaches from the ground up
Evidence-Based Innovation
Our solutions are built on rigorous research and continuously refined through real user experiences and outcomes. We document what works, what doesn't, and try share it when we can.
Dignity Through Technology
Technology should amplify human potential, not replace human connection. Hapi serves as a bridge to resources while preserving individual agency and dignity. The goal is always to connect people to the support they need.
OUR STORY
TIMELINE
Started in Edmonton. Now embedded across Canadian public safety.
We started with people reintegrating in Edmonton. We're now testing and deploying solutions across Canadian policing, corrections, and social services. The UK is next.
Early efforts to create a resource website were overwhelming for participants. That directly shaped what AI Systems have become. The need wasn't for an all-knowing resource base. It was for a navigator that could meet each person where they were, speak in their language, and remember them next time.
Duologue Systems has grown from that insight, shaped at every stage by the people it was designed to serve.
2024
Founded
Duologue Systems incorporated in Edmonton, AB.
EARLY 2025
First Pilot
Beta testing with folks reintegrating into the community post-prison in Edmonton. Co-design process shapes core system decisions.
2026
Growth & Expansion
Provisional patent filed. Active deployments across multiple organizations.
2027
Expansion
Active deployments expanding across Canadian jurisdictions and internationally. Research is shared to grow our understanding of Ethical AI systems.
WHAT KIND OF COMPANY WE ARE
We are leaders in public safety informed AI.
Most AI systems deployed in justice contexts are built by technologies who have never sat across from someone navigating the system. Ours was built with the communities it serves, from the first question to the latest pilot. That proximity is not a brand value. It is a design constraint that changed what we built.
A startup
Moving fast, taking risk, building something that doesn't exist yet. We have active contracts, live pilots, and a system in the hands of real users with real stakes.
A research organisation
Our work is grounded in trauma-informed care research, FASD literature, and participatory action methodology. We publish what we find, including the limitations.
A govtech vendor
We understand procurement, compliance, and the reality of deploying technology inside public institutions. We configure for your context, not the other way around.
THE TEAM
Built by people who believe it's possible.
Shay Sharma
FOUNDER & CEO
Three-time founder, engineer, and social innovator. Shay built Duologue from a room and a question, driven by the conviction that the people most affected by a fragmented system should be the ones who fix it.
Arad Ashrafi
AI ENGINEER LEAD
Masters in Ethical AI. Leads technical development of Hapi's agentic architecture, module system, and safety infrastructure. His focus is making safety an engineering constraint, not a policy afterthought.
Jessica DeVries
RESEARCH & EVALUATION LEAD
Senior researcher with a master's in reintegration and public health. Leads inteGREAT, a trauma-informed design methodology, and pilot evaluation - including the frameworks that produced our independently measured 96% accuracy figure.
ADVISORS
The people who keep us honest.
Our advisory council includes people whose experience no credential can replicate: people who have run federal prisons, those who have survived them, and researchers who have spent careers studying the gap between the two.
Andrea Monteiro
ADVISOR • JUSTICE SYSTEM
25+ years of justice experience across multiple roles, culminating in running a federal prison. Andrea brings the institutional depth and operational credibility that shapes how Hapi is configured for corrections contexts and challenges every assumption we bring to it.
Iridian Grenada
ADVISOR • LIVED EXPERIENCE
After 30 years in the justice system, Iridian dedicated their life to helping others heal and rebuild. They bring something rare to our AI: the lived reality of what people actually go through. Iridian guides Hapi with genuine human wisdom, shaping the quiet care, the right questions, and the deep respect built into every conversation.
Lived Experience Advisory Council
Beyond our named advisors, Duologue maintains an ongoing relationship with a broader council of people with direct experience of incarceration, FASD, justice systems, and reintegration across Canada and the UK.