Former Plaud Executive Launches Ambi, an AI App That Listens to Conversations

Former “Plaud” executive Peter Mo has launched “Ambi,” an app that listens to users throughout the day and assists them during conversations. The startup has raised a total of $26 million in funding. That is approximately 44.2 million manats. The funding was led by “Luminous Ventures” and device manufacturer “Huaqin.” “Ambi” is already available for “iPhone,” “Mac,” and “Apple Watch.”

Like apps that prepare meeting notes, “Ambi” listens to conversations. If the user chooses, the app can collect information from conversations throughout the day. The AI assistant reviews the calendar, meetings, database, and information on the internet to display relevant information and suggestions during a conversation. The goal is to start tasks while the conversation is taking place rather than after the meeting. Users can also start work on one device and continue it on another.

The company plans to increase the amount of data it collects in the future to provide more personalized suggestions. A desktop app under development will monitor the work the user is doing and remember important details. A separate “Ambi” device with a screen, speaker, camera, and microphone will also be released later. The device will collect information from its surroundings and display relevant information on the screen.

The app’s continuous listening raises questions about privacy and data security. In particular, it is still unclear how people nearby will know that the conversation is being recorded. According to “Ambi,” background data collection is disabled by default, and the user can stop it at any time. The startup says it does not retain audio recordings and encrypts the data. However, it has not disclosed which encryption method it uses.

Peter Mo said users should inform people around them that the app is listening. The company displays this warning in various parts of the app but admits that it cannot technically prevent a user from concealing the recording. “Ambi” currently has more than 50 employees working at its offices in San Francisco, Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen. The startup is seeking new employees for its sales and go-to-market team, as well as AI engineers to work on speech recognition models.