Viber, Inflection unveil conversational AI chatbot to PHL users

Messaging platform Viber and AI studio Inflection unveiled on Monday its personal artificial intelligence (AI) chat service to its Filipino users.

The feature “Pi,” which stands for personal intelligence, allows Viber users to ask for advice, up-to-date information, or simply chat with it.

“By welcoming Pi on our platform, we are taking another important step in this journey – to introduce powerful and highly conversational AI assistants to millions of users for the first time in their lives,” Atanas Raykov, Rakuten Viber Vice President of Global Marketing & Growth, said in a press statement.

The AI-powered chatbot is said to function as a companion that helps users organize their thoughts and make plans such as trying to get healthier or acquiring a new skill.

Pi is powered by Inflection’s in-house-built Inflection-2.5 large language model, the company said. The tech startup secured $1.5 billion of funding from Microsoft, Nvidia, Bill Gates, and Google Chief Executive Officer Eric Schmidt.

Citing a survey by LinkedIn, where 70% of Filipinos are keen to learn about AI, Viber said that “the expansion of the AI capabilities on the platform has been an essential component of Viber’s evolution and growth during the past few years and this coincides with increasing interest in AI among Filipinos.” – Aubrey Rose A. Inosante