Portalis.AI, a recently unveiled startup, has pioneered a groundbreaking technology aimed at revolutionizing the interaction and communication between humans and AI. The Austin-based company has developed lifelike, fully interactive, and animated digital avatars that can engage in conversations with users. These avatars go beyond the chat-based avatars currently available in the market, offering integrated voice, video, and memory capabilities.
Empowering Creators and Redefining AI-Powered Avatars
Todd Coleman, the cofounder of Portalis.AI, shared in an interview with GamesBeat that their platform empowers creators to design, personalize, share, and engage with AI-powered digital avatars. With the ability to customize looks, voices, environments, animations, personalities, and knowledge, these avatars can hold conversations, remember past interactions, and even simulate their own lives between chat sessions.
“The true innovation with the Portalis.AI platform is how we bring our characters to life with interactions as natural as a Zoom call with a friend,” Coleman explained. “Our goal is to use AI to extend human creativity, not to replace it.”
To achieve this level of interactivity, Portalis.AI has developed a custom scripting language called MIL code (Model Injection Language), which surpasses the limitations of existing large language model (LLM) prompting. This allows creators to effortlessly script complex behaviors, interactions, and use cases, expanding the possibilities from interactive FAQs and customer service agents to interactive fiction and role-playing.
Applications in Enterprise, Education, and Entertainment
The potential applications of Portalis.AI are vast and far-reaching. The seamless interaction offered by the AI characters makes them highly valuable for enterprise applications, educational use, and entertainment. Enterprise customers can embed AI characters as interactive FAQ interfaces, customer support representatives, or brand ambassadors by simply placing a “click-to-call” widget on their website.
“Our priority was to shift creativity back to the creator – the AI isn’t crafting the experience; the creator is,” Coleman emphasized. “There is no typing; you simply talk, and the AI character listens and responds in real time.”
Furthermore, Portalis.AI allows creators to craft AI avatars with carefully selected appearances, voices, background stories, personalities, and scripted activities. These resulting AI characters can be kept private, shared with friends and family, or even added to a public catalog.
In recent developments, Portalis.AI successfully closed a seed funding round with investments from industry luminaries, including Mike Wilson (co-founder of Godgames and Devolver Digital) and Robert Steffens (co-president of Marvel Entertainment). The company also welcomed Dan Graham, an experienced investor and entrepreneur, as its COO.
With a strong focus on maintaining a balance between human creativity and AI capabilities, Portalis.AI aims to extend the boundaries of what can be achieved when humans collaborate with AI. While the technology is highly fascinating, ethical considerations are also central to the company’s vision.
“While the tech is fascinating, we can approach with a sense of ethics,” Coleman emphasized. “I’m trying to strike that balance.”
Creators interested in experiencing the capabilities of Portalis.AI can sign up for early access testing on the platform. This innovative technology enables them to create and interact with AI avatars, opening up new horizons for enterprise, education, and entertainment.
