Some of the AI tools with the greatest impact to perform useful work don’t go out of their way to call attention to themselves. These companies are applying the technology to jobs such as streamlining business processes, improving customer support experiences, and even making video meetings feel a little more natural.
aiOla
For giving voice to jargon-filled paperwork
Frontline workers such as forklift drivers often wrestle with paper forms as part of their everyday tasks. aiOla replaces paper—and even tablet-based input—with a voice-driven interface that lets workers talk rather than writing or typing. To accomplish that, its Jargonic technology can scan existing paper or digital forms and understand their purpose, including industry-specific terms. The company says its AI has achieved 95% accuracy for jargon-filled voice recognition.
Antithesis
For killing bugs dead
Buggy software is always annoying. In worst-case scenarios, its’s dangerous. Antithesis’s technology automatically and continuously scans code for flaws in an isolated testing environment where the bugs can do no harm to real-world operations. After five years of development, the company launched its product in February 2024 and is working with customers such as MongoDB, Palantir, and Ethereum.
Intercom
For putting AI to work in customer service
Intercom’s Fin AI Copilot is designed to give service reps quick access to the information they need to resolve issues, so they can focus on the meaningful aspects of customer interactions that only a human can provide. The company says it can increase agent efficiency by 31%, speeding responses by up to 75%. The service works in concert with Fin Agent, an AI chatbot that can field up to 80% of customer questions on its own, helping human reps devote their full attention to thornier issues.
Logitech
For giving video meetings their best shot
In this era of hybrid work, many companies have equipped conference rooms with multiple cameras to capture the in-person part of meetings. Logitech’s Smart Switching technology, a feature of the CollabOS operating system used by its video collaboration systems, calls on AI to intelligently choose between multiple camera feeds. That lets remote attendees see face-on views of up to four in-person participants at once—not random shots of the backs of heads.
Sorenson
For bridging the captioning language gap
Sorenson, a provider of communications products for deaf and hard-of-hearing people, saw an opportunity to use AI for real-time language translation. The result is Sorenson Forum, which translates between 25 languages and 45 dialects on the fly. Forum integrates with existing Sorenson services such as on-demand ASL interpreting, lets participants in events such as global conferences speak in their native language, and holds the potential to knock down language barriers in everything from museum exhibits to doctor’s appointments.
Zip
For making purchasing less painful
The processes that companies use to buy stuff are often complex and bureaucratic, stealing employee time that could be put to better use. Zip uses AI to speed procurement, providing a smart assistant that answers employees’ questions and steers them through each step. The company’s customers include Anthropic, Canva, OpenAI, Sephora, and UCHealth; it says that its service saves 25% of employee time devoted to purchasing and cuts overall spend by 3.6%.
The companies behind these technologies are among the honorees in Fast Company’s Next Big Things in Tech awards for 2024. See a full list of all the winners across all categories and read more about the methodology behind the selection process.
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