Mumbai: E42, formerly known as NLP-Bots, is the world’s leading Natural Language Processing- based AI platform developed by Light Information System Private Ltd, a pioneer with more than 150 man years of R&D.
Sanjeev Menon is the co-founder and head of Technology and Product at Light Information Systems Private Ltd. He brings 25 years of passion-driven R&D experience in - Natural Language Processing, Machine Learning, Big Data Analytics, Telecommunications & VoIP, Augmented Reality, eCommerce Solutions, and Predictive Algorithms.
Being passionate about a collaborative work environment, Sanjeev focuses on building and mentoring teams that strive for innovation and excellence.
The platform can be used to create multifunctional cognitive agents that automates complex functions towards time, energy, resource, and cost optimisation. It is helping organizations with the future ready AI Workforce which can multitask, duplicate themselves and exhibit human intelligence in various roles among various domains in the organisation.
Indiantelevision.com caught up with Menon, where he shared the company’s contribution in shaping AI technology and much more…
Edited excerpts
On E42.ai contribution to the advancement of AI transformation in India
E42 has been evangelizing AI since 2013, beginning with an initiative called ‘Poochh’. This service, similar to ChatGPT, provided specific answers to user queries via SMS in 2014. It was primarily aimed at the information-deprived or weaker sections of society in rural India. This initiative won us the Manthan Award for social transformation and empowerment.
This was part of our evolution towards machine comprehension. E42’s contribution to AI transformation in India is significant and multifaceted. We have moved beyond traditional Robotic Process Automation (RPA) and are now employing Cognitive Process Automation (CPA) for enterprises. This progressive step underscores our commitment to AI transformation in India. The multifunctional co-workers built on E42, with human-level cognition (they can see, converse, hear, read, write, infer, reason, and sense) can automate various processes across enterprise functions and verticals including tasks that involve decision-making that otherwise require humans. These AI co-workers can coordinate with each other for better enterprise outcomes. The platform employs generative AI for innovative solutions and allows on-premises customization of Large Language Models (LLM) for optimal performance. With an emphasis on enhanced context understanding and reduced hallucination, E42 ensures a sophisticated conversational AI experience with multilingual support. E42 excels in advanced content generation for real-time analysis, Intelligent Document Processing (IDP), and multimodal network capabilities, facilitating structured and unstructured data processing. The platform offers flexible deployment options, allowing for on-premises, on-cloud, or hybrid configurations, along with comprehensive text and voice support. Notably, it features a no-code API integration for easy setup, captive AI learning, and use case scalability through drag-to-link functionalities. The platform ensures a unified chat window across all interfaces, streamlining operations and enabling easy iteration across channels. Continuous learning and improvement are ingrained in E42, with ongoing model refinement, adaptive hyperparameter tuning, and advanced feature engineering. Security is paramount, with dedicated approaches such as LLMOps for efficient Large Language Model management, MLOps for secure machine learning model maintenance, SSDLC for robust and timely software development, and GDPR compliance for data protection.
In the context of the Indian market, characterized by its diverse and often unorganized nature, our offerings play a pivotal role in fostering organization and structure. Take our end-to-end accounts payable process automation system, for instance. It streamlines the entire process, from vendor onboarding to storing invoices, utilizing an omnichannel interface with multilingual support. What sets us apart is our AI co-workers' capability to extract information from non-formatted or even handwritten invoices. This transformative ability ensures that businesses in India can operate in an organized manner, mitigating discrepancies and embracing a more structured approach to their financial processes. E42.ai's commitment to bringing order to the unorganized facets of the Indian market underscores our dedication to advancing AI transformation in the country.
On the role of the company fostering innovation and entrepreneurship within the AI ecosystem
In fostering innovation and entrepreneurship within the AI ecosystem, both in India and globally, E42.ai plays a pivotal role. Our collaborative approach encourages partnerships with startups, SMEs, and industry leaders, fostering a vibrant ecosystem. Through initiatives like knowledge-sharing forums, hackathons, and strategic collaborations, we aim to catalyze innovation. At E42, we’ve adopted a ‘partner-first’ approach. Through our no-code CPA platform, we’re fostering a broad ecosystem of partners. These partners can leverage their subject matter expertise to deploy core AI solutions, even without specific AI expertise. We’ve made our platform accessible to startups with unique ideas, providing them with the tools they need for a swift ‘go-to-market’ strategy. Our dedication to supporting entrepreneurship extends to providing AI capabilities to SIs and OEMs, enabling them to compete effectively. By nurturing a culture of innovation and collaboration, E42.ai contributes to the dynamic growth of the AI ecosystem on a global scale.
On supporting the development of AI talent and expertise within India and other regions it operates in
We also foster a culture of continuous learning within our organisation. This involves encouraging our team members to participate in training programs, webinars, and online courses. In addition, we have a certification program designed to enhance the skills of developers. This allows them to work effectively on our platform and deliver value-added solutions to their clientele. By investing in the professional development of our workforce, we ensure that our collective knowledge base remains cutting-edge. We've invested significantly in research and development to ensure that our AI solutions remain relevant to the dynamic needs of our clients. We've closely monitored and adapted to evolving regulations, ensuring that our practices align with compliance standards. Firstly, we maintain active engagement with industry publications, research papers, and reputable news sources. By regularly reviewing and analyzing the latest articles and reports, we gain valuable insights into emerging technologies, market trends, and evolving customer needs. Networking is another key component of our strategy. Attending industry conferences, seminars, and workshops provides us with the opportunity to connect with thought leaders, experts, and professionals. These interactions not only broaden our perspective but also enable us to forge meaningful partnerships and collaborations.
On the company tailoring its solutions to address the unique challenges present in the Indian market
In addressing the distinctive challenges prevalent in the Indian market, E42 tailors its solutions with a nuanced understanding of the local landscape. Recognizing India's linguistic diversity, our AI co-workers are equipped with robust multilingual support, ensuring effective communication and interaction in various languages. Additionally, we have strategically designed our solutions to operate seamlessly in areas with low and intermittent internet connectivity, addressing a common hurdle faced in several parts of the country. In India’s diverse enterprise segment, our no-code platform provides a breeze of integration, effortlessly bridging varied systems and processes. The AI co-workers built on E42 harmoniously collaborate with human workers, enhancing productivity without necessitating process changes. This innovative approach led to us receiving the NASSCOM AI Game Changer of the Year award in 2018.
For instance, our current focus is on facilitating end-to-end AI-led Accounts Payable automation to enterprises and the AI Accounts Payable Executive built on E42 extends our commitment to providing tailored solutions with features specifically crafted to align with Indian processes. This includes the extraction of QR codes, decryption and verification of Invoice Reference Number (IRN) in both digits and alphanumeric symbols, and the ability to configure API calls to government GST data for IRN validation. Our solutions also confirm the presence of valid digital signatures, while simultaneously incorporating mechanisms for auto-response and escalations in the event of exceptions. This localized approach distinguishes our offerings, reflecting our dedication to overcoming the unique challenges posed by the Indian market.
On future trends you foresee for E42.ai's involvement in AI transformation efforts, both domestically in India and on the global stage
Workforce automation is redefining how enterprises work—bridging the gap that is created when processes are automated in silos. We are witnessing significantly higher levels of AI adoption in several verticals such as manufacturing, financial industry, retail, government, and IT. For us, automation is a path towards our relentless pursuit of excellence as we meticulously refine our models to elevate precision, efficiency, and user-friendliness. A paramount focus lies in enhancing the capabilities of Large Language Models (LLMs), aiming for robustness and adaptability across diverse use cases. Equally crucial is our commitment to mitigating biases within our AI models. Employing sophisticated techniques and frameworks, we ensure that our solutions not only stand out for their technical robustness but also adhere to the highest ethical standards. Intertwined with this ethical approach is the integration of user-centric features, strategically embedded to enhance the overall user experience.
With a workforce of AI co-workers that can work across functions, automating the entire enterprise with utmost precision and accuracy at each level—the future of enterprise is smarter, faster, and, more intelligent. We’re enhancing enterprise intelligence one AI co-worker at a time. These AI co-workers, through social value alignment, coordinate seamlessly for improved enterprise operations.
