BR Analysis | AI tools and apps quickly taking over IT ecosystem

The advance of Artificial Intelligence seems to be unstoppable, with the help of a growing number of app and software developers. While big companies are announcing billions of investments in the research and development of AI capabilities, startups and small entrepreneurs are integrating AI into various operations. An entire ecosystem of AI applications is being created, and it will in turn generate new directions for AI use.

By Aurel Dragan

One of these small projects was recently announced by Romanian company Digital Nation, a tech organization. Named Saro, it is the world’s first proactive motivational AI in education, having received an initial investment of USD 850,000. Saro aims to transform the way students learn by addressing the growing need for engagement and interest in learning, which is becoming increasingly difficult to maintain in the age of technology and social media. For example, an internal survey conducted by Digital Nation had 9 out of 10 students say they wished they had been more involved in the course they were taking.

The first investment in the project was a USD 700,000 grant from Google.org, with an additional internal investment of USD 150,000. “Romania must rapidly accelerate the pace of investment in Artificial Intelligence, as it has the exceptional technical minds to build globally recognised solutions. Since 2022, we have launched an advanced in-house AI lab where we have experimented with over 50 different models: from specialised text and audio generation to emotion analysis, data classification, advanced search and interpretation, etc. We have also added the best engineers and experts to our AI team, and today I see them building a monumental technology that will be dedicated to the process of learning. I’m happy that the great teams at Google.org and Google Romania continue to support our work, and we’re excited about the future,” said Paul Apostol, the founder of Digital Nation.

“In Romania, Google.org, the philanthropic arm of Google, is supporting Digital Nation with a USD 700,000 grant for Saro, an AI companion that acts as a tutor, providing advice and motivation to teenagers and young professionals. Google has been supporting the goals of Digital Nation since 2015, working with local and regional organisations. We’ve helped over half a million people in Romania learn new digital skills and supported over 10,000 Romanian businesses and startups with technology through our Grow with Google and Google for Startups programmes. Since last year, we’ve been focusing more on how AI can boost the economy, providing educational opportunities and training or retraining programmes so that everyone can be ready to use it to their own advantage,” said Elisabeta Moraru, Country Director at Google Romania.

Saro is the result of two years of development and testing of several AI-based tools and it is an AI-based companion that tracks each student’s performance and knows their goals and habits to provide personalised support, fulfilling the role of a “best friend in education.” The app monitors students’ interactions with learning platforms on a daily basis and talks to them to assess their level of motivation. It then uses this information to intervene before they abandon their studies for other activities. Saro provides encouragement, relevant content such as news in the field of study, and in-depth discussions about ambitions and the future.

The app also collects relevant data for teachers and mentors, providing them with information on each student’s motivation, as well as feedback on the quality of teaching and level of difficulty. The impact on students is impressive. Through its constant presence and support, Saro significantly reduces dropout rates, improves academic performance through over 40 engagement techniques, and increases student engagement and attention.

Tested and validated with 1,000 learners

Saro is a tested and validated concept: it has been implemented with several test groups in Generation Tech courses. Preliminary results show that young people and adults who interacted with Saro were 41% more likely to complete their homework than those who had received traditional email or SMS messages. User feedback was positive, with 9 out of 10 participants saying that interacting with the prototype had helped them study more effectively or catch up on missed homework.

The solution is scalable and affordable and it can be easily integrated into universities, colleges or schools, using the data infrastructure already in place in most educational institutions (such as online grading systems, timetables, etc.). In the first two years, Saro will reach 4,000 users in Romania, of which more than 200 will be university students. Saro is designed to be useful and relevant in many educational and individual contexts. Although currently targeted at schools and universities, Saro has the potential to be used by anyone who wants to improve their learning experience and achieve personal goals.

AI in banking assistance

Another sector which is at the forefront of AI research is banking, and one of the areas where AI will be used intensively is customer assistance. AI bots will be able to act as personal assistants for customers and provide personalised services and products. We’re not there just yet, but banks have already started to use some AI capabilities. One example is Raiffeisen Bank, which has reached a new phase in digital transformation as it continues to invest in innovative technologies with the launch of ARI, an artificial intelligence-based learning tool. Designed to optimise learning speed and team productivity, ARI is a comprehensive tool that provides bank experts with fast and efficient access to specialised information, playing a key role in the onboarding process and further team training.

ARI trains daily in various areas, including personal financial planning and mortgage lending, as well as in internal procedures related to banking industry regulations. Prior to the official launch, in personal financial planning alone, ARI was trained by a team of over 200 bank specialists through more than 5,000 interactions. The bank’s teams are constantly working on expanding ARI’s knowledge so that the virtual assistant gains the ability to help them with clear answers and maximum accuracy.

“In our internal developments, we see artificial intelligence not just as a technology tool, but as a strategic partner in redefining and continuously optimising our operations. ARI significantly improves the productivity of our teams and contributes to a better understanding of our banking products. ARI provides easy access to validated and relevant information, increasing response speed. This leaves teams more time to focus on what they do best: one-to-one interactions with our customers,” says Zdenek Romanek, President & CEO at Raiffeisen Bank Romania.

On the lending side, in addition to assisting with mortgage-backed loan offers, ARI provides detailed information on savings, insurance, investment funds, and pension products. So far, through a “learn by doing” process, ARI has successfully managed responses to over 70% of the questions asked and achieved a 98% correct response rate. Response has also improved rapidly, along with the quality of interactions between colleagues, facilitating a streamlined workflow that is less susceptible to human error. The main question topics include mortgage loans, loan documentation, refinancing, loan insurance, guarantees, and real estate eligibility.

Raiffeisen Bank Romania has developed its own artificial intelligence department since 2019. Currently, the department consists of about 30 experts (ML Engineers, ML Ops, Dev Ops, and Data Engineers), who have already developed 12 applications using Artificial Intelligence models.