Humans.ai eyes 'positive' Indian market with its AI Counselor tech

International deep tech company Humans.ai has developed ION, which represents an effort to leverage AI technologies to facilitate communication and decision-making processes within the government

Last year in August, Sabin Dima, chief executive officer of international deep tech company Humans.ai and the firm’s Chief Technology Officer Vali Malinoui had a private meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, where they showcased ION, the world’s first AI Counselor.

 

Developed by Humans.ai in collaboration with AI researchers and computer science professors from Romania, ION represents an effort to leverage AI technologies to facilitate communication and decision-making processes within the government.

 

“We spent almost one hour with him (Modi) and presented an Indian version of the AI Counselor,” said Dima. “We received amazing feedback and that motivated us to move our focus to India.”

 

The aim is to use AI technology to address the absence of real-time communication between citizens and the government. ION, which is the first AI Counselor to the Romanian government, leverages technologies such as natural language processing and complex computer vision techniques. This enables it to promptly and accurately capture the opinions of Romanian citizens using publicly available data from social media networks.

 

Actively exploring Indian market   

Humans.ai now is actively exploring significant opportunities to provide its technologies to the government and companies in the Indian market.   

Dima said the company has already signed contracts with various governmental institutions and enterprises.

 

“We aim to collaborate with organisations that are ready to leapfrog their capabilities,” said Dima.

 

“These institutions understand that AI can enhance efficiency and enable them to achieve goals that would be impossible for humans to manage alone,” Dima said.

 

To tap the India market, the firm has collaborated with Mumbai-based Inspira Enterprise, which works in the area of cybersecurity, analytics, and digital transformation.

 

Founded in 2019 and headquartered in Liechtenstein, Humans.ai has operations in Mumbai and across Europe. Under Dima’s leadership, Humans.ai has introduced innovative solutions like ION, the world’s first AI advisor to the government in Romania.

 

How ION works for government innovation   

It is a scalable AI for government innovation that is currently being applied to other governments. ION leverages AI algorithms and unsupervised learning methods, as well as deep neural networks, which automatically identify topics of interest to the public administration.

 

It also prioritises discussion on social media based on their impact on the public sector. It provides decision-makers and lawmakers with a bird’s eye view on the expectations of citizens at the local and national level. For instance, the first AI government counselor in the world automatically captures the opinions of citizens using anonymously publicly available data on social networks with the ultimate goal of disseminating conclusive information in the form of real-time updated reports.

 

In Romania, Dima said the AI developed by the company could engage in conversations with 20 million citizens, gathering insights about their challenges. “This level of engagement is impossible for any politician or individual, no matter how dedicated they are,” said Dima.

 

‘Indian response overwhelmingly positive’   

When asked how receptive are Indian companies and government entities to adopt Human.ai’s technology, Dima said the response has been overwhelmingly positive.

 

“We’ve had over 30 conversations with major enterprises and government bodies, and what stands out is their immediate willingness to move forward after our presentations,” said Dima.

 

“This eagerness is unique to India; companies here are ready to invest in AI technology and demonstrate strong leadership by making strategic bets on this technology,” Dima said.

 

At the core of the company’s innovation is ‘H1uman’, a digital robot designed to bridge the gap between AI capabilities and actionable results.

 

Configurable to perform various roles within organisations, ‘H1uman’ functions like a digital colleague. It interacts with users through its ‘canvas and a visual conversational tool’ that makes collaboration intuitive and effective. This approach transforms how organisations work, driving greater efficiency and innovation.

 

“We’ve designed a digital robot that possesses ‘brains’—capable of quickly adapting to different models,” said Dima.  “Unlike foundational model companies, we focus on creating a comprehensive AI solution. Our digital robots can handle a wide range of tasks, from making calls and scheduling Zoom meetings to generating reports and predictions.”

 

For instance, a ‘community manager AI’ could scrape the internet for market insights and assist sales teams by researching clients before meetings. One can also create various configurable AIs, such as a ‘KYC operator’ that verifies documents, contacts clients for information, and generates reports for managers. One can also develop operational

managers that monitor team efficiency and understand business workflow.

 

Local AI startups   

India's Generative AI (GenAI) startup ecosystem has also evolved significantly in the past 18 months, marked by a surge of innovative product launches redefining the industry landscape. Since the second half of 2023, a diverse array of homegrown GenAI startups—including Krutrim, Sarvam.ai, Nurix, and ZekoAI—spanning infrastructure, services, and applications, have emerged.

 

This growth has been driven by the launch of 17 native GenAI language models in India and a 4.6 times increase in GenAI services, according to the IT trade body Nasscom.

 

There has also been a notable rise in the number of startups offering GenAI assistants, comprising nearly 80 per cent of newly added startups over the past year. Despite an early-stage focus, India’s GenAI startups have attracted over $750 million in cumulative funding since 2023.

 

When asked about how Humas.ai perceives the competition between multinational companies and local startups in India, which have access to the local data in different vernacular languages, Dima said his firm is not a foreign company.

 

“It’s essential to clarify that we are not a foreign company; we have foreign co-founders, but we operate as an Indian company based in Mumbai. We have a strong local team on the ground,” said Dima. “I hold a lot of respect for the companies you mentioned that are involved in large language models,” he said.

 

Dima said the company’s system is designed to be modular, allowing it to integrate with various developers and startups.

 

“This collaboration can enhance our offerings significantly,” said Dima. “For instance, if a small startup develops technology for generating perfect PDF reports using generative AI, we can quickly integrate that capability into our AI system. This creates a symbiotic relationship where both our technology and that of local startups become stronger.”