Conversational AI vs. Gen AI: Why Real Business Value Matters More Than Hype

I’ve often said on my various social handles that while Gen AI has all the hype, Conversational AI will drive real business value. The recent momentum garnered by Wispr Flow and Sarvam AI validates my point.

For the uninitiated, Conversational AI is a form of AI that simulates human conversation. It uses natural language processing (NLP) to understand, analyze and process human language, while machine learning (ML) enables it to improve over a period of time.

Let’s talk about Wispr Flow. They call themselves “the voice-to-text AI that turns speech into clear, polished writing in every app.”

Rumour has it that their game is way better than Apple’s Siri. These rumours have found confirmation in industry reports too. Well played to them.

Now let’s talk about Sarvam AI. They call themselves “AI built for India’s languages and real problems.”

Over the years, Conversational AI systems have centred around the English language. However, the fuel for scale in India often comes from lands that speak Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Gujarati, and so many of our wonderful languages. Sarvam AI is solving for this, and they’ve been the talk of the town lately.

Bonus point: Meta is betting big on Click-to-WhatsApp ads. This ecosystem has Conversational AI at its core.

All in all, people who’ve never done enterprise-level work in the realm of tech will keep selling you mindless hype, while those with an extensive body of work will see through flimsy narratives.

Flimsy narratives are often loaded with either misinformation or malice or both. Be careful when you consume them. After all, malice is malignant and misinformation is more dangerous than no information.