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Luzia co-founders from left: Javier Andrés, Carlos Pérez, and Álvaro Martínez Higes.Image Credits:Luzia
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The availability of Large Language Models ( LLMs ) has made it light for developer to make chatbots . Large companies such as OpenAI , Google and Microsoft have madeChatGPT , BardandBing Chatwidely useable . However , non - tech affluent audiences might not be mindful of some of these bots . Spain - basedLuziais trying to introduce AI chatbot tech to users through a WhatsApp - based bot .
The company , establish in 2023 by Álvaro Martínez Higes , Javier Andrés and Carlos Pérez , is trying to address the Spanish and Lusitanian - talk market for chatbots . Using Luzia is pretty sluttish . you’re able to save the chatbot as a contact on your phone and start talk to it on WhatsApp or Telegram .
The inauguration pronounce more than 17 million exploiter have interact with Luzia to escort , with 8 million of them combat-ready on a monthly basis . While it did n’t cite its casual active users , the startup said it receives 13 million daily requests .
Martínez Higes told TechCrunch that most people forward Luzia as a contact to have their protagonist shoot the breeze with the bot .
The company uses your phone telephone number to detect the res publica that you ’re in and starts tattle in Spanish or Lusitanian . As the ship’s company is expanding in the U.S. , Luzia will start speaking in English , but if you talk to it in Spanish , it will default to Spanish . But given that it relies on GPT tech , it can discourse in other language as well .
Luzia currently is compatible with users in Brazil , Argentina , Colombia , Spain , Mexico and now the U.S.
The idea is to acquaint Luzia to exploiter who might not know about AI models . The ship’s company said that a stack of first - time substance abuser compare the bot with a voice assistant , such as Siri or Alexa . While the app shows a basic onboarding message with some of the use cases , the startup is not actively sending educational message to drug user to let them know about unlike sets of features .
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The society uses a combination of models such as GPT 3.5/4 , Llama , and Kandinsky to power the interaction . Just like any other chatbot , users can demand Luzia to yield textbook for e-mail or answer questions . They can also forward a representative note or an audio single file for the bot to transcribe it . Plus , Luzia can give images found on the given prompt .
Luzia late raised $ 10 million in Series A funding led by Khosla Ventures . Other investor participate , such as Basketball Hall of Famer Pao Gasol , A * Capital , Abstract Ventures , FJ Labs , Globo Venture , Mike Santos of Technisys , Sean Ryan of Sean Investments LTD and Grupo Product . Before this round , the company had raise $ 3 million .
The company is keep the bot free for the moment and focusing on growth and creating user value .
“ We have control monetization tools like unlock unlimited messages , longsighted - duration arranging and pass approach to good models through pay architectural plan . But those are promptly becoming commoditized in the industry . If we would have gone with that route , we would have been stagnant , ” Martínez Higes say .
Adina Tecklu , a partner at Khosla Ventures , said that Luzia is positioned well to address the personal adjunct grocery store . Tecklu added that just addressing the LatAm and the Iberian Peninsula securities industry is a vast opportunity .
“ I have been looking at this blank space for some time — how can AI in truth power consumer interactions . In Luzia , we saw a strong team with a very deep understanding of their consumer base result in exciting early adhesive friction . Their product is truly resonating with Spanish and Lusitanian consumers and have got such early user adhesive friction is impressive , ” Tecklu recite TechCrunch over email .
This year , Khosla has endue in multiple startups working on AI and LLM tech , include take coach appElloand colloquial encyclopaedism appQuazel .
