The AI coaching niche is still a small part of the HR tech world, but there are a number of promising young companies on the scene.
Butterfly.ai. This AI-powered coaching app features a self-learning bot that uses anonymous employee surveys targeting specific leadership attributes to deliver custom tips and learning content directly to managers. The developers worked with advisers from The University of Oxford and Columbia University to identify the key factors influencing workplace engagement. The bot offers praise for positive performance and suggests training content from the organization’s learning and development library to improve. It recently secured $2.4 million in venture funding.
GiantOtter. Two MIT students launched this startup AI coaching company in 2013 to help managers prepare for difficult employee conversations with the help of “Coach Otto.” The app, which integrates with Slack and other messaging apps, lets users practice a conversation and receive feedback before meeting with a colleague in person. GiantOtter was funded by a National Science Foundation grant.
Orai. An early-stage startup based out of Philadelphia, Orai is a public speaking app that tracks a speaker’s filler words, pauses, energy and tone and provides both a dashboard of metrics and a summary of advice on how to improve. The developers used thousands of TED Talks to teach the system what constitutes a good and bad speech and is currently teaching it additional languages and accents. Orai recently partnered with Mandel Communications to integrate the app into their communications skills training program.
VoiceVibes: This public speaking app uses analytics and predictive algorithms to assess and analyze specific features in a user’s voice patterns, including pace, pausing, pitch and volume. The recording tool enables users to record and upload speeches to their personal accounts where they can view analysis and feedback and track progress habits across multiple practice sessions through dashboards. It’s raised $1.1 million in venture funding.
This story was originally published in the April 2018 issue of Chief Learning Officer as a sidebar to “The Dawn of the Robot Coach.”
Sarah Fister Gale is a writer based in Chicago. To comment, email editor@CLOmedia.com.
