Will.i.am’s Tech Startup Raises Capital for AI-Driven Chatbot [VIDEO]
Will.i.am is jumping into the corporate computing market with his new venture. The Black Eyed Peas member’s tech startup I.am+ has raised $117 million to develop a voice assistant for customer service.
The AI-powered product, similar to Amazon’s Alexa and Apple’s Siri, is called Omega and it’s a customer support chatbot. Will recently introduced Omega at Salesforce.com’s Dreamforce conference in San Francisco.
"I wanted to create something that allows us to do many things," he told Reuters. "There’s so much you can do with a voice platform."
The company's website describes Omega as a "voice-first A.I. platform that delivers natural and engaging user experiences for organizations of any size." The new venture is a big departure for Will.i.am's five-year-old company, which initially started developing consumer electronics products such as headphones.
Will.i.am said the goal is to build a variety AI-driven products for any company's customer support needs. “One of those things is handling hundreds of thousands of customers’ inquiries about their data plans simultaneously,” said Will.i.am. “If it can do that, your imagination’s the limit.”
To get more information about Will.i.am's new tech venture, head over iamplus.com.
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