Bland

There has been criticism over the ethics of AI’s use in phone calls, especially in the case of Bland - its AI phone agents have lied to human callers about their automation. Bland argues that the software is solely used in corporate settings and sales calls. Its users are regulated by the company itself, thus avoiding bad actors. Regardless of ethical criticism, Bland’s uses are manifold and it could save companies substantial time and money, so it’ll be interesting to see how its user base develops as it emerges from stealth.

Born out of the Y Combinator, Bland is backed by influential Silicon Valley investors, using its funding to further develop its product. It’s certainly a new frontier for conversational AI and could help smaller companies grow market shares through realistic and natural conversations.