Top 10 Chatbot Builders

Important news about Chatbot Builders

2023. Google launches AI Studio for developing chatbots based on its Gemini model



In a move that can only be described as quintessentially Google, they’ve flung open the doors of the Gemini platform, inviting developers in with a flourish and a handful of shiny new services. Chief among them is the rebranded AI Studio, which, in a former life, answered to the name MakerSuite (but really, who’s keeping track?). This web-based wonder is your personal portal to the vast Gemini ecosystem, giving you a front-row seat to Gemini Pro now and the tantalizing promise of Gemini Ultra arriving next year. With AI Studio, developers can easily summon chatbots and prompts, wielding API keys like magic wands to slot them into apps or dive headlong into more complex code in a grown-up integrated development environment (IDE). And just to keep things interesting, Google’s thrown in a generous free quota—60 requests per second—which is the sort of speed that makes you wonder if you’ll ever run out. It’s almost as if they’ve anticipated your wildest ideas and set you free to iterate at breakneck pace, all without the usual "limit reached" dread looming over your head.


2023. Meta debuts AI Studio to let developers build custom chatbots



In a universe not so very far away, Meta, in its infinite wisdom (or perhaps just a really good press release), has unveiled AI Studio, a whimsical platform where businesses can conjure up AI chatbots for Facebook, Instagram and Messenger. It’s all starting on Messenger, mind you, where companies can now whip up chatty AIs that not only mirror their brand but also aim to make customer service less like a trip to the Vogon bureaucracy office. Meanwhile, lurking on the horizon, there’s talk of a sandbox tool, expected next year, where mere mortals might dabble in AI creation—think of it as sculpting a small digital Marvin, if you will. Meta plans to let these newly crafted AIs roam the wilds of the metaverse in places like Horizon Worlds, where they might take on the role of non-playable characters (NPCs) in games, occasionally pausing to wonder about the meaning of digital existence.

2023. Salesforce to acquire Airkit.ai, a low-code platform for building AI customer service agents



In a twist that would make the universe's finest bureaucrats do a double take, Salesforce is poised to acquire Airkit.ai, a low-code platform built to equip e-commerce companies with AI-fueled customer service agents that know exactly what to say—or at least try to. Airkit's initial incarnation as a friendly, self-serve customer engagement tool had it weaving together rogue data silos and addressing straightforward needs like user onboarding. But recently, with a rebranding as “Airkit.ai,” it unveiled a rather futuristic wonder—a GPT-4-powered platform, now employed by the likes of OpenTable and ShipBob, which lets companies forge custom chatbots that delight in answering such essential inquiries as “Where’s my order?” “Can I get a refund?” and “Tell me more about that product,” all with a digital smile firmly in place.


2022. AI-powered conversational platform Quiq raises $25M



Chatbots are thriving and robust. That’s the announcement from Quiq, an AI-driven conversational platform, which today disclosed that it has completed a $25 million Series C funding round. Quiq integrates AI and human agents to enhance efficiency, boost revenue and elevate customer satisfaction. It’s designed to enable customer service representatives to collaborate with both first- and third-party chatbots to handle inquiries across popular messaging platforms, including Apple Messages for Business. Quiq allows conversations, whether synchronous or asynchronous, to be escalated to agents if an issue cannot be resolved through automation.


2021. Chatbot startup Heyday raises $5.1M



All-in-one unified customer messaging platform Heyday has secured $6.5M. Whether a customer is sending a message through Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, Google’s Business Messages, or simply via email, Heyday consolidates all communication into a single dashboard. It then employs artificial intelligence to identify whether the message pertains to customer service or sales, automating basic replies when feasible. Heyday chatbots can provide order updates or even suggest products (it integrates with Salesforce, Shopify, Magento, Lightspeed and PrestaShop), then hand off the conversation to a human team member when necessary.


2021. Landbot closes $8M Series A for its ‘no code’ chatbot builder



In a galaxy not so far away—specifically Barcelona—an intriguing little entity known as Landbot has managed to snaffle up an $8 million Series A funding round. This “no-code” chatbot conjurer counts an eclectic mix of clients among its admirers, from ambitious SMEs to renegade factions within sprawling corporate empires, including such titans as Nestlé, MediaMarkt, Coca-Cola, Cepsa, PcComponentes, and Prudential. And while its competitors, like the San Francisco-based ManyChat, are busy engaging in conversational duels, Landbot has discovered that many of its patrons are actually rebels on a quest to overthrow the tyranny of web forms, choosing instead the irresistible charm of chat interfaces that don’t make you want to lie down with a damp towel over your head.


2020. ultimate.ai scores $20M for a supportive approach to customer service automation



In a remarkable twist of fate that could only be rivaled by the adventures of intergalactic hitchhikers, Ultimate.ai—the ingenious purveyor of virtual customer service agents—has just wrangled a staggering $20 million in Series A funding. Their pièce de résistance, a platform for crafting data-gobbling bot builders, boasts the rather audacious ability to automate a hefty 80% of customer support interactions. This, as is customary in the grand tradition of such conversational AI enterprises, aims to liberate beleaguered human support agents from the mind-numbing drudgery of repetitive inquiries, thus allowing them to unleash their (far less constrained) talents on the far more labyrinthine, consultative, or emotionally fraught queries that make life—if not the universe—infinitely more interesting.


2020. Ushur raises $25M for its no-code platform to build customer communication flows



A startup called Ushur that has developed a platform for businesses to create their own AI-driven customer communication workflows with no coding required, has secured $25M in a Series B funding round. This brings the total amount raised by Ushur to $36 million. The startup is currently concentrating on the insurance industry (a significant one for interacting with customers and collecting data during these interactions) and includes Aetna, Irish Life, Tower Insurance and Unum among its clients, who are building chatbots (referred to as Virtual Customer Assistants by Ushur), automated email response systems (named SmartMail) and tools to help customer service representatives assist clients more efficiently (FlowBuilder).


2020. Yalochat, a fast-growing conversational commerce startup, lands $15M



In a universe not entirely unlike ours, there exists a rather curious entity called Yalochat, which, in a manner both fantastically clever and mildly unsettling, allows behemoths like Coca-Cola and Walmart to deftly increase sales, process payments, and charm their customers over the otherwise humble channels of WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and, in that somewhat mysterious land of China, WeChat. Yalochat’s origins trace back to a fizzy beginning in Brazil, where it worked its conversational magic for Coca-Cola, helping them navigate the strange and labyrinthine world of small mom-and-pop shops. Their chat-based wizardry worked so well, in fact, that soon it was off to Mexico and Colombia, spreading its AI-powered ability to make ordering almost as easy as lounging in a bathrobe. The platform, ever so discreetly, gathers data to help its clients unravel the mysteries of the mobile customer journey—all the while boosting revenues and slashing costs in a way that seems almost suspiciously easy. And with $15 million in Series B funding under its belt, Yalochat appears rather set on taking over the world of conversational commerce, one tiny chat bubble at a time.


2020. Spectrm raises $3M for its conversational marketing platform



Spectrm, an AI-powered conversational marketing platform, has secured $3 million in Series A financing from international VC firm Runa Capital. Spectrm automates dialogues to engage and convert customers online through an AI-driven algorithm. The chatbot, built with Spectrm, promptly replies to incoming messages and turns every interaction from a challenge to an opportunity. Marketers then utilize that data to categorize the customer base and strengthen customer relationships. The platform is utilized by companies such as eBay, Ford, Groupon, Renault, KLM and more. Spectrm’s rivals include LivePerson (Nasdaq-listed), ManyChat (raised $19.1 million), Snaps.io ($11.3 million), Automat.ai ($10.9 million) and Chatfuel ($120,000).