Artificial Intelligence start-up Niki is all set to diversify into seven other Indian languages after having tasted success in the Hindi language app-based internet commerce by creating a virtual agent for online voice-based transactions for consumers who are hassled by the barriers like using the keyboard in English or Indian languages.
Niki has already created a user base of 18 lakh consumers in Hindi language and the start up firm has reached an annual turnover of Rs 300 crore.
IIT Kharagpur alumnus and CEO of Niki Sachin Jaiswal told The Pioneer, "What we are trying to do is to unlock internet commerce for the next billion users in India by developing a virtual agent for them. In India, 95 per cent of the people don't know how to use an app because most of the apps are in English language. Typing through keyboard in vernacular language is complicated and one should have a basic understanding of computer terminologies to process the instructions through the apps."
Niki has developed a solution by developing apps in Indian languages that operate through voice-based commands to remove the sore points of the consumers."
The Niki app will help the users for services like online recharge, bill payments of various utilities like power, phone or gas and also facilitate in booking travel tickets by just issuing commands through voice especially in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities.
Besides Hindi, development of applications (apps) in various stages of trial, testing and launch in Indian languages like Marathi, Gujarati, Bangla, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada besides English, Jaiswal said.
The startup was founded by Jaiswal along with three of his IITian colleagues in June 2015 with funding by Ratan Tata, Ronnie Screwvala and SAP.iO and other venture capitalists.
