Speech Graphics is the award-winning company whose facial-animation software is used in some of the world’s biggest video games, including Gears of War 4 and Call of Duty WWII, will target the rapidly growing Intelligent Virtual Assistant market, focusing on the fintech and health care markets.

The company launched it’s first software product, SGX, in November 2016. Since then Speech Graphics has worked with many of the world’s largest videogame publishers, including Microsoft, Warner Bros, and Activision and won multiple awards for their advanced facial animation and lip syncing technology.

Thanks to this success the company has experienced a 33% growth in turnover, hitting £800,000 in the last 12 months and has increased its workforce by almost 30%.

Visual Conversational AI

Speech Graphics is now developing a new Software-as-a-Service platform which will integrate a ‘visual conversational AI’ into mobile devices, Internet of Things (IoT) devices and web applications for the Intelligent Virtual Assistant (IVA) market. The goal is to bring the emotional connection currently lacking into customer service through a more personalised and engaging service.

The company promises its new platform will make it straightforward for developers to implement engaging conversational AI solutions across a wide range of vertical markets. Speech Graphics software will enable every AI service, such as Amazon’s Alexa or IBM’s Watson and every user to connect to the Speech Graphics platform. The platform will analyse the user’s emotion and use it to create and deliver an appropriate emotional response through the AI.

Speech Graphics says this new technology will allow for a deeper, more personal engagement with customers and patients alike, as well as improving the overall social experience involved.

Brand Identity

By allowing businesses to license this software, brands will imprint their own identity upon an emotionally aware, virtual assistant that will have the ability to interact directly with customers during self-service interactions from bank balance enquiries or money transfers, to daily conversations between healthcare professionals and patients.

Consumer Expectations

Dr Gregor Hofer, the CEO and founder of Speech Graphics, says: “The Intelligent Virtual Assistants (IVA) market is expected to see a massive increase over the next few years, from $750 million to an estimated $12.28 billion by 2024.

“Our track record in the games sector and our recent transition from a service company to a SaaS business model puts us in a powerful position to be able to grow the company.

“Today the consumer expects round the clock customer service.  Intelligent Virtual Assistants may seem like the answer but we also expect service with a smile.  A smile you can believe in.

“Unfortunately avatars often negatively impact customer experience because they lack emotion. Achieving real-time  delivery of conversational AI is hard, especially when combined with high-fidelity animation. It requires expertise in voice networking, visualisation, emotional analytics and speech-technology.”