2023 was a breakout year for generative AI that significantly advanced how companies build and deploy AI-powered products and experiences. 

Across healthcare, retail, education, and more, AI was infused into customer-facing applications and helped businesses unlock new experiences that deepen customer relationships. 

To surface the most promising and innovative AI-powered customer experiences, Twilio launched its first-ever AI Startup Searchlight — a global search for companies building better, trusted communications with their customers using generative AI. Twilio invited global businesses who had less than $50 million in venture funding, already have a functional demo or a product in the market, and are infusing generative AI creatively into Twilio channels such as Voice, Email, WhatsApp, Conversations, or SMS to apply.

The judging panel included Khozema Shipchandler, CEO of Twilio, Brandon Leen, head of Twilio Ventures, and Sinead Bovell, futurist, AI expert, and founder of WAYE. The judges looked for nominees who demonstrated exceptional creativity, leveraged the AI opportunity to its fullest, and played an influential role in shaping the future of AI-powered customer experiences.

Out of the many applications, Twilio selected six exceptional startups that leveraged practical generative AI applications across healthcare, hospitality, logistics, and more. Each of these honorees built new, inventive solutions that tapped into data, communications, and the power of AI to not only solve unique challenges facing their business but also create long-term benefits for their customers.

The honorees demonstrated extraordinary advances toward the future of trusted communications and customer engagement and proved the real promise of generative AI. 

Arist started with the goal of making workforce education accessible and easy. Arist uses AI and Twilio to change how teams deliver communications and meet employees on their preferred channels like Slack, SMS, and WhatsApp.

Arist introduced a content creation assistant that allows users to build new courses with existing content. By effectively capturing knowledge and value that’s already been created, Arist is able to inspire learner confidence and drive learning initiatives with their customers and employees.  

Arist has already created a text message learning platform that has delivered over one million lessons to leading global organizations such as BMO, DoorDash, the World Health Organization, and more. Looking ahead, Arist plans to introduce adaptive learning and learner response analysis features, using AI to personalize learning for customers and provide effective communications across the employee education journey.

An estimated 3.5 million people in the US alone are involved in monotonous logistics and back-office tasks. By layering AI technology on top of legacy systems, FleetWorks is able to automate the most time-consuming part of logistics management: live order issue handling. 

Leveraging Twilio’s API for voice, as well as IVR and SIP trunking capabilities, Fleetworks created a copilot for all of their work and gave companies like UberFreight the power to streamline their operations. 

The company automates the coordination of freight movement, replacing the numerous phone calls and emails traditionally required with previous processes. AI is the backbone of Fleetworks, providing superior customer engagement for their clients and freeing them up to focus on transportation efficiency.

Milo, an acronym for “my important loved ones,” is a company that provides parents with an AI collaborator to help manage the invisible load of running and raising a family. Milo believes that too much of a parent’s time and attention is trapped in the low-value but necessary tasks of coordinating, logistics, and managing information — tasks better suited for software and AI than human brains. 

Busy parents are able to drop texts, screenshots of calendars, and voice memos into Milo and receive a summary of the chaos in the form of SMS reminders, calendar invites, and daily rundowns for the whole family, powered by Twilio’s messaging API. 

By pairing a human in the loop with the latest in LLM capabilities, Milo built a virtual copilot to help manage the schedules of young children and their parents. Milo’s AI technology, funded by OpenAI, also learns and gets better over time. Through user feedback, it adapts to what the user needs and how they want to receive information, freeing up valuable time for parents.

As a software provider for restaurants, Next Order offers a cloud-based POS system, a direct ordering channel, and delivery platform integrations. Their mission is to make the life of a restaurant owner easier and elevate the working experience within the restaurant industry.

AI helps make this vision even larger. Next Order uses AI in conjunction with Twilio’s Programmable Messaging, Email API, Voice, IVR, and SIP Trunking to automate customer interactions and provide helpful insights for restaurants. For diners, this AI can give a more consistent customer service experience. For restaurants, this technology reduces costs, improves customer experience during busy hours, and helps them make more informed business decisions.

With Next Order, over 1,000 restaurants that were once dependent on outdated service providers and struggled with restricted access to large-chain restaurant technology are now better equipped to compete and deliver exceptional customer experiences.

Rely Health works to prevent patients from feeling lost in the complex healthcare landscape. Working in tandem with clinical staff, Rely Health’s AI-powered companion guides patients in maximizing in-network retention, accessing clinical charting, and understanding the health and sustainability of their healthcare programs. 

Powered by real-time data and a deep commitment to patient care, Rely Health harnesses AI to deliver customized solutions, improve predictive analytics for better patient outcomes, and enhance virtual chatbots. Using Twilio’s SIP trunking and IVR solutions as well as APIs — including email and voice — Rely reaches patients on their preferred channel. 

Rely Health is confident in AI’s role in the future of patient care. With a presence in multiple states and looking to grow, their technology is poised to close manual care gaps and improve healthcare communications for thousands of patients. 

Smith.ai, a customer engagement platform that provides virtual receptionists and sales outreach solutions for small to mid-sized businesses, is on a mission to solve the challenges small businesses face.

Smith.ai helps small and medium-sized businesses boost productivity through technology and automation. Smith.ai considers AI to be the “secret sauce” of their business because it allows their agents to feel like a natural extension of a business rather than an outsourced vendor. They use Twilio APIs for messaging and voice, as well as SIP trunking and IVR products to reach customers on their preferred channel. 

Oftentimes, Smith.ai agents are dealing with nuanced customer interactions. Guided by AI, these agents are best poised to navigate these interactions because compassion and emotional intelligence are innate and ever-present in Smith.ai’s technology. AI provides their agents with the important context needed to deliver great customer service on behalf of their clients and assists them in handling calls, chats, and text messages.

Learn how to transform your communication channels with Twilio and Generative AI by visiting Twilio’s website or by tuning into this recent webinar. 

This post was created by Twilio with Insider Studios.