These solutions have what it takes: They use their smarts – and artificial intelligence – to improve our everyday lives.

Using AI to find the right tenant

Housy is a housing portal that does away with those jam-packed apartment viewings and endless application documents. But it’s not a portal for tenants looking to find the right apartment; instead, it’s for landlords looking to find the right tenant. The company also developed a personal-assistant chatbot to support people looking for an apartment: with the help of artificial intelligence, M.A.R.T.A. performs search requests for users based on different criteria and a self-developed algorithm. Landlords receive a list of prospective tenants suitable to them, while tenants receive a list of apartments that fit their needs. M.A.R.T.A. provides Housy users a 24-hour service and is currently available via Facebook.

Intelligent Anonymisation

Data protection laws like the GDPR set limits to the ways in which camera images can be processed. Traditional “pixelation” is usually not an option, as it destroys so many of the data essential for applications such as self-driving cars, retail analytics and smart cities. This is why the startup Brighter AI Technologies developed an AI-based form of anonymization that generates artificial faces based on an individual’s attributes. This makes it possible to carry out analyses – for example, with regard to demographic information, clothing style and line of vision – without exposing the person’s actual identity. In recognition of their innovative approach based particularly on the development of artificial neural networks, Brighter AI was named “Europe’s Hottest Startup” by NVIDIA.

Digital Passenger

German Autolabs is developing Chris, a digital assistant for motorists that makes individual mobility and access to apps and services more comfortable and secure. Chris is smart and learns like a true passenger. The AI is currently being used in natural speech recognition, driver intent recognition as well as in dialogue modeling (speech/gestures). A number of additional components, such as the recognition of specific traffic situations, are also under development in an effort to further reduce drivers’ cognitive burden. With the help of Chris, German Autolabs is building a vertical voice-AI software stack for the automotive industry that will also work in conjunction with language platforms such as Alexa and Google Assistant.

Translation Office 2.0

Lengoo is a tech startup that develops AI-based translation networks that use neural networks to produce expert translations in over 400 language combinations. Although translation via neural networks is not a new field in AI research, only the availability of high-quality data and ever-increasing computing power make it possible to use these technologies today. The Berlin-based company was founded in 2012 in Karlsruhe by Philipp Koch-Büttner, Christopher Kränzler and Alexander Gigga. At the Deep Berlin Conference in November 2018, Lengoo came in second and took home the Jury’s Choice Prize.

AI forecasts customer moods

Parlamind provides AI-based customer service solutions that enable companies to respond to the questions and moods of their target groups. The AI used by this Berlin-based company understands messages sent in by customers on a semantic level and is thus able to determine the concerns and moods of customers as well as other information contained in the messages. This information allows the AI to enter into an independent dialogue with customers and carry out all the requisite related processes automatically. Cutting-edge research findings in the fields of computational linguistics and machine learning form the basis for the ongoing development of parlamind AI technology.

Reading Software

Acrolinx is equipped with a sophisticated linguistic engine and is the only software platform that “reads” content and helps authors improve upon it. Companies such as Adobe, Boeing, Google and Philips use the solutions generated by this Berlin-based company to create content that is engaging, entertaining and effective. A spin-off of the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence, Acrolinx was founded by computer linguists working on complex challenges in the field of content creation and communication.