PolyAI named to Forbes AI 50 2023 list
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Our clients are leading enterprises in various industries around the world. They believe that lasting customer relationships come from speaking to customers in a way that is natural, helpful, and empathetic.
We help our clients do that in a way that is cost-effective, scaleable, and delightful.
Above all though, we make robots that people love. If you think that’s cool, we would love for you to join us.
The notion that people can talk to computers has been around for a long time. Most of what’s out there isn’t very good, because understanding the nearly infinite ways that something can be said, replying helpfully, and carrying on the conversation for as long as it takes to fulfill the customer’s request, all by a robot – is a really hard problem to solve.
So foremost, we’re looking for people who are curious about something that doesn’t yet exist, and have the desire and the curiosity to build it.
Most current automated speech systems direct customer action in some way. E.g. “If you have a question about billing, say ‘BILLING.'”
Those systems were designed that way partly because of technological limitations, but also out of a fear of the unmanageable variability that would ensue if you let the customer say whatever they wanted.
All of PolyAI’s voice assistants open with “how can I help you?” They are designed that way because we believe that allowing the customer to say whatever they want to say provides the best experience.
Handling the infinitely variable conversations that can follow is much more challenging than directing customer behavior. But that’s okay, because we have a strong conviction of what better looks like. And a conviction that is strong enough does away with the fear of what it would take to get from here to better.
When we started, our technology was our advantage. It still largely is. But our robots have been made magnitudes better by people who came from outside of our original domain of expertise. They added systems engineering, product design, linguistic direction, heart, humor, and grit.
We look for specialists who are proud of what they know, but are also not afraid of venturing outside of their comfort zones to challenge what is possible.
We share a bias for action, which means to jump rather than to hesitate in the face of situational uncertainty. When we’re doing something new, the effort that it takes to judge the most optimized course of action would be better applied to several iterations of “do what you think is best, take stock, and then do it better.” There are books on the subject, but bias for action as a temperament takes practice.
Being transparent is important. Without transparency, there will come a point when people have such different frames of reference that it becomes difficult for us to do anything as a team. We take care to be transparent about the company, our successes and failures, our aspirations and challenges, and our strengths and weaknesses. We ask our people to try to do the same. It can get messy, but in trying, we become stronger as a team.
From day 1, PolyAI has attracted a diverse group of people with a shared passion for creating new technologies. Our team comes from 32 different countries and speaks 29 languages (and counting).
We believe it’s our responsibility to make this organic diversity meaningful to our mission as a company.
PolyAI is a leader in voice assistants that speak many languages. Having native speakers of those languages actively contributes to our comparative advantage. Helping clients from all over the world has been made easier by people who have succeeded in cultures different from their own.
Our mission involves developing voice assistants that strive to understand everybody, no matter who they are or how they speak. Having a team with so many different cultures and conversation styles is key to delivering on that mission.
Who we are is still in the making, and we would like to invite you to be a part of that adventure.
