Coher, made in Canada, ChatGPT wants to change the world of work

“We’re a pretty big player,” Nick Frost said with a laugh. The young company he co-founded in 2020 is today a multinational enterprise valued at more than $2 billion. It was enough to allow Koher to establish itself as a serious competitor to OpenAI, the American company behind ChatGPT.

When comparing Koher to OpenAI Mr. Frost is not hurt. We use the same technique, he explains from his company’s offices. The atmosphere is relaxed: employees wear slippers and dogs are allowed. It sounds like San Francisco, but Cohere is headquartered in Toronto.

Like OpenAI, Cohere has created a conversational robot — or Chatbot – It uses large language patterns to answer its users’ queries.

But unlike ChatGPT, Corel (the Chatbot by Koher) not addressed to the general public. Young Shoot is targeting companies instead Solve specific problems in the world of work , said the boss. Cohere now has hundreds of customers worldwide, including giants like Oracle, Spotify and McKenzie.

I think a similar shift happened when companies realized they needed to create websites or apps for smartphones.

A personalized robot… and confidential

Unlike ChatGPT, Corel doesn’t just search the Internet for answers. The software can be integrated directly into its clients’ servers, allowing it to generate personalized responses while ensuring data privacy.

Open in full screen mode

We need access to the same information as company employees for this technology to be useful [documents internes, bases de données, courriels, etc.], explains Nick Frost. The founder said he used Coral to obtain the Wi-Fi password for Koher’s London offices on a recent business trip.

Corel can also be used to summarize documents, categorize data, sort resumes, write computer code, or moderate comments. In other words, automate tasks Boring and repetitive In daily life, Mr. Frost summarizes that he believes his technology will radically change the world of work without eliminating jobs.

industrial revolution

Jordan Jacobs was Koher’s first investor. We wrote them a check on the first day, co-founder of Radical Ventures said. The Torontonian has been a fixture in the spheres of AI for years. In 2017, he launched a venture capital firm to identify and finance the most promising startups.

Open in full screen mode

It’s rare to come across such a small, tiny idea that can become a company the size of Google. This is Koher’s caseJordan says he doesn’t hesitate to compare AI to the industrial revolution or the invention of electricity.

Toronto talent

In addition to being Canadian, all three of Cohere’s founders attended the University of Toronto. Nick Frost and Aidan Gomez worked in the laboratory of Professor Geoffrey Hinton, often described as Founding father of AI. Many of his students have gone on to become Silicon Valley stars.

Researchers are one of the reasons [comme Geoffrey Hinton] came to Canada, and their research was funded by agencies such as the Canadian Institute for Advanced ResearchCanada is expected to continue to be a leader in AI, emphasized Jordan.