Russian Operator and digital ecosystem player, MTS, has launched a new service called "Secretary," an AI-powered assistant that can answer incoming calls when the subscriber is busy, unavailable, or does not want to talk. MTS announced this new service on Wednesday, highlighting that its subsidiary, MTS AI, has developed the AI platform behind it.
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Advanced Speech Recognition and Deciphering
"Secretary" uses the Audiogram AI platform developed by MTS AI to understand the words of the caller and decipher dialogues. MTS said the platform can translate audio into text and voice the bot's answers with a selected voice, allowing the "Secretary" to speak in nine different voices from darling male to wise female. Additionally, MTS AI has also integrated antimat and denormalizer functions, which mask obscene words and expressions with special symbols.
Personalised Responses and Spam Handling
According to the statement, the AI assistant not only recognizes the speaker's words but also determines the call's subject through keywords. For instance, it can respond to loved ones with, "It's always nice when a relative calls," or recognize work-related calls and respond accordingly. "Secretary" can even engage with spammers, adding a touch of humour to the interaction. "Secretary" is configured to communicate with spammers in a way that ironises them.
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MTS said once the call ends, "Secretary" sends the text and audio recording of the dialogue to the subscriber via SMS or Telegram, identifying whether the call was spam or a potentially useful call. The message also includes a clarification of who exactly called, such as the delivery service, a colleague, a relative, or an administrator about an appointment.
Constant Improvements and Customisation
MTS said the company is working to improve the speech synthesis and recognition technologies, as well as the communication scenarios between "Secretary" and subscribers. In the future, machine learning (ML) services will be introduced into the service to better understand users and categorize calls.
As of August 2023, "Secretary" can support more than 100 dialogue scenarios and offers a "revolver" of phrases for more enjoyable interactions. The "revolver" is a set of jokes and frivolous questions that can make communication more enjoyable.
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Secretary Service Charges
MTS announced that the service is available free of charge with a choice of two basic voices: male or female. Additionally, there are nine characters with various moods, such as fun, daring, and business, that users can select. These characters are initially free for 14 days, after which they will cost 110 rubles per month.
