French startup Rounded is focusing on the development of AI voice agents, with the belief that these agents will become the standard method for customer interaction with businesses. Unlike many companies that are creating ready-to-use AI voice solutions, Rounded is constructing an orchestration platform that allows organisations to design and implement their own voice agents tailored to their specific needs and use cases.
Founded to initially work on a web3 product, Rounded shifted its attention to AI voice agents in June 2023. Co-founder Aymeric Vaudelin explained in an interview with TechCrunch, “The idea was that we’d simply put ChatGPT after a transcriber and before a synthesizer, and it would be valuable.” However, as the project progressed, the team encountered challenges in aligning their product with market readiness. Vaudelin noted, “After a few months, we realized that the market wasn’t ready yet to hear about voice agents. So we created a product, and packaged everything to create a first agent.”
This scrutiny led to the development of an AI voice agent named Donna, specifically tailored for anaesthesia secretaries. This decision was influenced by the high volume of straightforward, transactional calls that anaesthesia staff typically handle, including scheduling operations and confirming medical histories. In France, it is common to speak directly with the anaesthetist prior to a surgical procedure to discuss any allergies or potential complications.
As Vaudelin described, these calls are generally uncomplicated, focusing on availability and appointment changes rather than sales pitches. Despite initial setbacks, such as latency issues that reached up to six seconds, Rounded successfully deployed Donna in 15 private hospitals, where the AI agent has managed hundreds of thousands of conversations to date. According to Vaudelin, advancements have significantly improved latency, stating, “With a web call, for example, we now get a latency of less than 700 milliseconds—more like 600 milliseconds.”
Recently, the company expanded its offerings to include an orchestration product that empowers other businesses to create their own voice agents. This platform allows users to select from a variety of pre-built AI models, which include speech-to-text, large language models (LLMs), and text-to-speech technologies. A user could potentially combine Azure for call transcription, GPT-4o mini as the LLM, and ElevenLabs for speech synthesis, shaping a unique voice agent experience.
The orchestration platform also aids in refining the design and functionality of these agents by ensuring the right instructions and prompts are configured to suit individual business needs. Vaudelin remarked, “Our pitch is that we’re going to enable everyone to create great prompts or great agents, and our product will support them in this iteration process to create super-reliable agents.”
To date, Rounded has secured approximately €600,000 (around $620,000) in funding from UC Berkeley’s deeptech accelerator SkyDeck, alongside contributions from various angel investors. Given the rapidly evolving landscape of artificial intelligence, particularly within the business sector, it is anticipated that Rounded may attract additional investment in the forthcoming months, as interest in AI automation continues to surge.
Source: Noah Wire Services