Google Veteran Raises $8M for Continua to Revolutionize Group Chats with AI Agents
In early 2023, David Petrou, a distinguished engineer and founding member of Google Goggles and Google Glass, left Google after more than 17 years to start his own company.
“I was seeing how fast technology was changing, and I felt there are certain ideas that are best explored in the context of a startup,” Petrou told TechCrunch.
His startup, Continua, is a consumer-facing company that uses AI agents to enhance collaboration and interaction in group chats across platforms like SMS, iMessage, and Discord.
“The simple way to think about it is that we’re bringing the power of large language models (LLMs) to group chats,” Petrou explained.
On Tuesday, Continua announced it raised an $8 million seed round led by GV, with participation from Bessemer Ventures Partners and several angel investors.
Petrou observed that people often interact with ChatGPT or other LLMs separately and then copy-paste the results into group conversations. Continua aims to embed the AI directly into group chats to streamline this process.
“If you and I are planning a trip, deciding what to have for dinner, or picking a movie to watch, all of these can be facilitated by an LLM participating in a group chat with us,” said Petrou.
Continua’s AI agents help reduce group chat chaos by joining conversations and offering helpful information only when needed. They can automatically set reminders, launch polls, add calendar invitations, or generate Google documents with checklists and to-do lists as groups discuss projects and plans.
If a user forgets details like meeting time or location, they can privately message Continua to retrieve the information.
While the concept may seem straightforward, Petrou noted that enabling an LLM to participate naturally in multi-person conversations is a complex technical challenge. Most AI models are designed for one-on-one interactions, so Continua had to fine-tune its technology to understand group dynamics.
“You want the agent to have social intelligence,” Petrou said. “We had to ‘break the LLM’s brain’ to integrate the AI naturally into conversations.”
Users can summon Continua when they need help or tell it to “hang back” if it’s responding too frequently.
Getting started with Continua is simple: users add its phone number to a group SMS or its username to a Discord chat.
While other companies like Meta and startups such as Hey Umai also offer AI agents for conversations, Petrou insists Continua is uniquely suited for group interactions.
Erik Nordlander, general partner at GV, said his firm invested in Petrou before Continua’s group chat AI concept was fully developed. “David is a really brilliant engineer, someone who’s been working with AI since before it was the hot thing.”
Nordlander also noted Continua has multiple potential revenue paths, including charging for services like event planning and trip booking, which the AI agent is already assisting with.
Source: Yahoo Finance
FAQ
What is Continua?
Continua is a startup founded by a former Google engineer that uses AI agents to improve collaboration and interaction within group chats on platforms like SMS and Discord.
How does Continua enhance group chats?
Continua's AI agents can participate in group conversations to help with tasks such as setting reminders, creating polls, scheduling calendar events, and generating documents. They can also retrieve forgotten information when messaged privately by a user.
What was the main technical challenge for Continua?
The primary technical hurdle was enabling a large language model (LLM) to participate naturally in multi-person conversations, requiring fine-tuning to understand group dynamics and social intelligence, rather than just one-on-one interactions.
How can users start using Continua?
Users can add Continua's phone number to a group SMS chat or its username to a Discord chat.
What is the funding status of Continua?
Continua recently raised $8 million in a seed funding round led by GV, with participation from Bessemer Ventures Partners and angel investors.
Crypto Market AI's Take
The development of AI agents for communication, as exemplified by Continua, signifies a growing trend in how we interact with technology and each other. At Crypto Market AI, we are deeply invested in the intersection of artificial intelligence and finance, constantly exploring how AI can enhance efficiency, provide deeper market insights, and automate complex processes. Our platform leverages advanced AI models to offer sophisticated tools for traders, including AI-powered trading bots and AI analysts that provide real-time market predictions. Furthermore, our focus on AI in personal finance aims to democratize access to intelligent financial planning. The innovative application of AI agents in group chats by Continua aligns with the broader movement towards more integrated and intelligent digital assistants that can streamline everyday tasks and complex decision-making.
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