Last week, Forbes published its fourth AI 50 List. The prestigious roster, which “recognizes standouts in privately-held North American companies making the most interesting and effective use of artificial intelligence technology,” welcomed a new name into its ranks this year: Uniphore. The conversational automation leader beat out close to 400 contenders to land a top spot among the 50 most compelling companies of 2022. (You can learn more about Forbes selection process and methodology here.)
"We’ve been making giant strides over the past few years, not only in technology, but in terms of funding and general interest in our unique solutions. We are proud to be recognized as one of the top AI companies in North America."
Umesh Sachdev, Uniphore CEO & Co-founder
Artificial Intelligence: from Sleeping Giant to Modern Necessity
Forbes announced its first AI 50 list in September of 2019—mere months before COVID-19 emerged as a global health crisis. That timing is worth noting. While the ensuing pandemic greatly accelerated the development and adoption of artificial intelligence applications, the underlying technology was already weaving its way into the fabric of everyday life. In fact, many of the applications that are widely used today—from AI-powered self-service software to real-time customer service assistants—were already well established and reaching various stages of maturity. If the pandemic highlighted the urgency of such applications, the following years underscored how truly essential they have become.
“The mad scramble to adopt artificial intelligence amid the COVID-19 crisis is officially old news,” Forbes stated in its announcement. “We interact with AI as seamlessly as we do our smartphones, through voice assistants, customer service, automated tasks, self-checkout, fraud detection, in healthcare decisions and infinitely more invisible applications that affect our daily lives.”
The Emergence of Conversational AI
Few innovations have impacted how we interact with technology more than conversational AI and automation. As the leader in conversational technology, Uniphore continues to redefine how customers and enterprises engage in an increasingly digital world. Today’s solutions not only understand and respond to conversational input with unparalleled accuracy; they can also detect speaker sentiment, intent and emotion. These developments have transformed—and continue to transform—the experience of customers, customer service representatives and sales teams around the globe.
The Value of Artificial Intelligence
Just how much of an impact do AI-based products, like Uniphore’s X-Platform and Q for Sales software, have on the business world at large? Global research firm IDC predicts business investment in AI solutions will reach $500 billion by 2024. On the macroeconomic side, PricewaterhouseCoopers expects AI to contribute $15.7 trillion to the global economy by 2030. With those numbers in mind, it’s no wonder that funding for those on the AI 50 List is in the upper millions and low billions. (To learn more about Uniphore’s $2.5 billion valuation, click here.)
Uniphore’s Star is on the Rise
Uniphore’s addition to the Forbes AI 50 List is the latest in a growing list of accomplishments that include being named one of the fastest-growing tech companies in North America on the 2021 Deloitte Technology Fast 500™ list and receiving the 2021 Frost & Sullivan Global Technology Innovation Leadership Award in Conversational Automation. To learn more about our awards and recognition, technology partnerships, AI innovations and more, visit our newsroom.