Transforming Digital Communication with Conversational and Generative AI Tools: AiThority Tech Bytes with QuickBlox’s Nate MacLeitch

The recent spurt of Conversational and Generative AI tools offers a wide range of applications to users deploying different platforms for Customer Experience (CX) and omnichannel communications. According to Gartner, customer experience and retention emerged as the primary focus of Gen AI initiatives (38%). After hitting the headlines in 2022, new-age Generative AI tools such as ChatGPT have influenced AI investments in the existing cloud contact centers and outbound sales organizations. For example, Conversational and Generative AI tools can automate and augment human decision-making to execute CX-focused processes using virtual assistants and voice chatbots. In our latest AiThority.com Tech Bytes interview, we feature the CEO of an AI-powered communications platform provider, QuickBlox. Nate MacLeitch, the CEO, is on a mission to secure digital communication tools using AI capabilities. In this interview, Nate explains the role of Conversational and Generative AI tools in transforming digital communications for different business processes. 

Hi Nate, welcome to our AiThority Interview Series. Being a vibrant tech expert, please tell us about your journey in the AI space.

Hi there. Thanks for this opportunity to speak about my journey with QuickBlox! Overall, I would say that being a tech startup entrepreneur and attempting to scale a company while bootstrapping is not for the faint-hearted. It’s a tremendous amount of work and stress with plenty of challenges thrown in. That said, it can also be exhilarating, and I relish the opportunity to innovate and develop cutting-edge software applications with my team.

Witnessing significant growth and innovation in the digital community has been a real pleasure. QuickBlox was one of the first cloud platforms to offer chat SDKs and APIs that enable developers to add chat and video calling functionality to their applications more easily and quickly than coding from scratch.

Since then, we’ve expanded our offerings to include pre-built solutions.

The recent advancements in conversational AI are fascinating. We’re currently developing new features within our products that will simplify the integration of AI into real-time communication for developers. It’s a promising area with significant potential.

QuickBlox is forging ahead with cutting-edge AI-enhanced communication tools and integrations. Could you please highlight its unique selling point? 

Yes, of course. QuickBlox is certainly at the forefront with its new suite of AI-powered communication tools.

A key USP of these tools is their focus on ease of integration for developers.

For example, we’ve pre-enabled our Chat UI Kits with AI features like translation, answer assistance, and message editing. We also offer an AI SmartChat Assistant solution that involves a no-code dashboard, making it highly user-friendly to set up, along with a widget that allows developers to embed SmartChat Assistants into any website in just a few minutes with a custom knowledge base.

Another significant USP is that QuickBlox is one of the first companies to offer HIPAA-compliant chatbots. We are covered by a Business Associate Agreement (BAA) from OpenAI and other third-party providers. This ensures a high level of data security and privacy for users.

Could you please share more information about your recent product launch, SmartChat Assistant? 

Yes, we are especially proud of our SmartChat Assistant solution. While the marketplace may be filling up with chatbots at the moment, our product offers some genuine advantages.

As previously mentioned, our no-code SmartChat Assistant is very easy to set up and requires little technical expertise. Our intuitive dashboard allows users to create a profile for their AI assistant and upload it with their preferred knowledge base. Users can access analytics on unanswered questions to improve their AI Assistant’s knowledge base. We also provide several customizable fallback options if SmartChat Assistant is unable to answer a question. For example, a user can select to have the unanswered question redirected to a third-party AI source like OpenAI and provide the ability to do human handoff when needed.

A key difference with our chatbot offering is that it comes with an entire communication platform. Users can just use SmartChat Assistant on their website if they want, or alongside an array of communication tools. For example, integrating into a chat app or using it within our pre-built video consultation application, Q-Consultation. This makes SmartChat Assistant highly versatile for AI and human interaction.

We offer a HIPAA-compliant version for healthcare which is seeing a variety of use cases. The SmartChat Assistant has broad applicability, and we are seeing interest in customer service, education, e-commerce, as well as finance.

In 2023, QuickBlox unveiled Q-Consultation Lite, a streamlined version of the original that provides pre-built chat apps with user interfaces. What are we expecting for 2024-2025?

That’s great you should ask, as we have significant plans for Q-Consultation over the next six to twelve months. To provide some background, we built this solution during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, when there was a high demand for remote video consultation tools. Our platform also offers private meeting rooms, which can function as waiting rooms, and a host of administrative and user management features, like note-taking, queue management, and scheduling. The application has proven particularly popular among healthcare organizations and HR and recruitment firms.

In 2023, we decided to make the application source code freely available. We hoped this would increase accessibility and allow developers to customize and innovate on the product.

This year, we updated the source code with built-in AI features, including transcribing video consultations, summarizing transcriptions, and creating action points.

We’ve now added the SmartChat Assistant, which enables human handover capabilities.

For example, suppose a SmartChat Assistant is unable to answer a client’s question. In that case, it can initiate a human handover by redirecting the client to a virtual waiting room in Q-Consultation until a provider is ready to start an online chat or video call. The provider receives a summary from the AI to enable a smooth transition. Finally, based on user feedback, we’ve created a chat-only version of this application.

Could you please explain how pre-built cloud infrastructure and plug-and-play front-end app solutions have helped to customize the Q-Consultation App and UI Kits?

Let me slightly rephrase the question. We offer a range of solutions depending on how many development resources a company has and the level of customization and integration required.

For non-technical business and product owners, we have ready-to-use plug-and-play widgets for websites and apps for messaging and video consultation, which we offer as a SaaS solution. This type of product means a faster time to market and add new services.

For companies that want deeper technical integration, we offer QuickBlox UI Kits, SDKs, and APIs, which come with pre-built components for chat applications, but still allow a degree of customization. Our open-source white-labeled apps like Q-Consultation and our other free sample apps for chat messaging and video calling enable developers to add capabilities to their apps and websites.

With a surge in demand for telehealth services, QuickBlox seems to be the future of remote work. How has it been made possible?

Telework, telehealth, and care delivery have experienced rapid change, first by the COVID-19 pandemic and now due to technological changes like AI.

Overall, industry trends point to increased remote work and remote care. There are staffing issues globally, and there is a need for more doctors, nurses, and healthcare staff. There’s also a move to reduce administrative burden and make use of resources more efficiently through the application of AI. Increasingly, people want to be able to receive both healthcare remotely and w*************. So yes, we are in a solid position to benefit from these changes.

What impact do Conversational and Generative AI tools have on communication? 

That’s a great question. It’s an exhilarating time for AI and digital communication. Clearly, conversational and generative AI tools are significantly impacting how we communicate with one another, but only time will tell the full impact.

Here are some current trends that I see. AI tools can bridge communication gaps by offering features like real-time translation and automated responses. These features allow individuals who may not share a common language or have accessibility to participate in conversations more effectively. AI can streamline communication by automating repetitive tasks and providing readily available information. This frees up human communicators to focus on more complex interactions and creative problem-solving.

As AI tools become more sophisticated, they will likely influence how we communicate. For example, voice-based interfaces are becoming increasingly common, changing the way we interact with information and services. It will be interesting to see how things develop over the next few years.

What is your smartest AI/ML-related shortcut or productivity hack? 

I have fun experimenting with new tools to increase productivity and exploring real-world use cases for this technology. One simple hack is to use voice dictation and then share the output with ChatGPT or our Smart Chat Assistant to rewrite it into various kinds of content. The secondary AI processing does a pretty good job correcting transcription errors, and you can have content rewritten to serve different media, whether messages, emails, documents, or posts.

Real-world use of AI helps guide the creation of the tools we use to empower developers.

Our new AI tool suite is about making developers’ lives easier. We’re leveraging AI and machine learning through the SmartChat Assistant. It allows developers to build trainable AI assistants that can be seamlessly integrated into messaging apps. Think of it as a shortcut to creating personalized and engaging chat experiences. The assistant learns and adapts over time, so developers don’t have to spend hours coding every interaction. It’s a game-changer for building efficient and user-friendly communication tools.

Nate, given your dedication as a mentor and investor in startups, what advice do you wish to impart to new tech enthusiasts? 

I would like to remind them that tech is vast and ever-changing, so don’t be afraid to explore different areas. It’s helpful to pursue something that piques your interest and excites you and if you can envision the application of that tech for solving a real-world problem. Also, something I’ve found incredibly useful along the way is to connect with other tech enthusiasts. The tech world thrives on collaboration and knowledge sharing.

Join online forums, attend meetups, or connect with tech enthusiasts on social media. You’ll learn tons, get inspired, and maybe even find a mentor!

Tell us about some of the top tech events you will participate in (as a speaker or guest) for 2024-25.

Because healthcare comprises a significant segment of our customer base, I plan to attend ViVE in Las Vegas later this year. ViVE is a highly regarded tech conference targeted at the digital health sector. Locally, I enjoy attending TechCrunch Disrupt in San Francisco — a great way to meet new start-ups — and various meet-ups on AI and technology in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Thank you, Nate! That was fun and we hope to see you back on AiThority.com’s Tech Bytes interview soon.

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