Developers and technologists have been working on developing new AI-aided bots capable of autonomously executing complex tasks since the arrival of the large language model (LLM) late last year.
On Friday, Newo.AI, a Silicon Valley tech company, introduced a service integrating intelligent agents and robots. The service combines the advanced capabilities of LLM-driven agents with the versatility of physical robots to create virtual workers, which can handle a wide range of office tasks, from administrative duties to customer engagement.
Newo also includes an AI agent builder platform, which enables companies to replicate the intelligence of an entry-level human worker. This is capable of performing various office administrative tasks. It can handle phone calls, text chats, emails, Zoom calls, note-taking, and even assist walk-in customers in an office.
Customizing the programming of Newo digital workers for most jobs, including receptionists, sales agents, technical support, customer success specialists, or HR operators, can take between two hours and two days, depending on the business needs.
“Before 2023, technologies were not flexible or autonomous enough to be ‘hired,’” said David Yang, co-founder of Newo.AI. “But with Newo.AI, you are hiring an employee that can understand the complexity of your business, and that will adapt.”
Regarding the physical aspect, Newo’s agent can integrate into any open robot form chosen by the customer. One of Newo’s defaults is Moxie, a robot from a company called Embodied specializing in individual interaction.
Yang stated that such agents could replace approximately 300 million jobs, citing a Goldman Sachs report from last year.
Read more: Norway may start mining critical minerals in the Arctic seafloor if new proposal is approved
Read more: Surveillance technology in classrooms causes more harm than good, ACLU report finds
Robots to free up humans for higher-value tasks
He emphasized this as a trillion-dollar market. However, he carefully notes that he believes there won’t be 300 million humans unemployed, as job vacancies are growing at rates faster than humans can fill them. Thus, he envisions Newo’s agents fulfilling millions of basic jobs, freeing up humans to focus on higher-value tasks.
Newo reports having 23 paying customers who have used the product under open beta, including the SoliVana Wellness Spa in Redwood City, Mayweather Fitness & Boxing, Fuse Service, and Edeal. Newo says it can accommodate another 500 customers on a first-come, first-served basis.
It plans to be open to anyone starting in April or May. The company stated that its customers have expressed the most interest in pre-sales and sales consultant roles, followed by customer support.
Newo.AI isn’t the only player in this burgeoning field, either.
A coalition of Rainbow Robotics, Schaeffler Group, and the Korea Electronics Technology Institute (KETI) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to work on the development of AI-powered mobile dual armed robots.
Announced on Thursday, the collaboration views the development as a step towards autonomous manufacturing.
Schaeffler will provide key components, such as gearboxes, while KETI will integrate AI technology into manufacturing processes under the agreement.
Rainbow Robotics will lead the development of AI-based robot operation systems and oversee the production of the mobile dual-arm robots. The ambitious goal is to advance technology and identify strategic business models for global market penetration.
As part of the comprehensive collaboration, the companies plan to harness AI and robotics technologies throughout the entire manufacturing process.
.
Follow Joseph Morton on Twitter
joseph@mugglehead.com
