Ambi, an artificial intelligence startup co-founded by former Plaud executive Peter Mo, has raised $26 million to develop an AI assistant that can continuously listen to conversations and provide real-time suggestions. The company announced the funding on October 12, alongside the launch of its apps for iPhone, Mac, and Apple Watch.
According to the company’s official announcement, the funding was led by Luminous Ventures, an investor in Meituan and Unitree Robotics, and original design manufacturer Huaqin. The investment was secured across multiple funding rounds and will support Ambi’s software development and planned hardware products.
How Ambi’s AI Assistant Works
Ambi functions as an AI meeting notetaker but also allows users to activate continuous audio capture throughout the day. Its AI agent uses information from conversations, calendars, meetings, knowledge bases, and online sources to provide relevant suggestions and assist with tasks.
Unlike conventional meeting notetakers that generate summaries and action items after conversations end, Ambi aims to begin tasks while meetings are still taking place. Users can also start a task on one device and continue working on another without restarting the process.
Mo told TechCrunch that existing AI recording devices often require users to transfer recordings, upload them to the cloud, and wait for processing before receiving results. Ambi is designed to reduce those delays by providing information during conversations.
The company is also developing a desktop application that can monitor users’ work activities and save relevant information for future recommendations. Similar contextual AI capabilities are being developed by companies such as Littlebird and Minimi.
Ambi also plans to introduce a dedicated hardware device equipped with a screen, speaker, camera, and microphones. The device will collect additional contextual information and display AI-generated responses.
Continuous Recording Raises Privacy Questions
Ambi’s continuous listening capabilities have raised questions about consent and how people are informed when their conversations are being recorded. Similar concerns have led to lawsuits involving AI meeting notetakers, while Apple’s recently introduced Audio Intelligence feature has also attracted scrutiny.
Mo said Ambi’s ambient recording feature is disabled by default and can be turned off whenever users choose. The company also claims it does not store audio recordings and encrypts collected data, although it has not disclosed the encryption methods used.
However, responsibility for informing other participants about recordings remains with users. Mo acknowledged that the industry has not established a reliable way to ensure people are notified when ambient recording is active.
Ambi currently employs more than 50 people across offices in San Francisco, Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen. The company is recruiting employees for market expansion and AI engineers specializing in speech recognition.
Featured image credits: Wikimedia Commons
For more stories like it, click the +Follow button at the top of this page to follow us.