For over a decade, tech giants have been promising to bring us the digital sidekick, an artificial intelligence (AI) assistant that can anticipate our needs and make our lives easier. From Amazon’s Alexa to Apple’s Siri and Google Assistant, these AI-powered helpers have been designed to answer our questions, organize our daily lives, and even control our smart homes. However, despite the hype, today’s AI assistants still feel like a separate entity, often requiring us to download a dedicated app, use a specific device, or adopt new user habits.
But what if using AI felt as effortless as texting a friend? No learning curve, no extra steps, just a seamless conversation that helps us get things done. This is the vision of Interaction, a Palo Alto startup that has created an AI assistant called Poke, which slips directly into iMessage, allowing users to access its features without leaving their messaging threads. According to Marvin von Hagen, Interaction’s CEO, “Users want easy access to AI the same way they text their partner, friends, parents, and colleagues.” Von Hagen, 23, and his co-founder Felix Schlegel, 25, met while studying computer science at the Technical University of Munich, where they built a reputation for tackling ambitious projects at a young age.
Poke works like any other contact in iMessage or WhatsApp, allowing users to book flights, summarize research, or suggest dinner options, all without leaving the conversation thread. The startup has beta-tested Poke among over 6,000 users in Silicon Valley, including employees from top tech companies like OpenAI, Google, and Stripe. The results have been impressive, with users discovering new use cases for Poke, such as generating math exercises for kids, planning trips, and even chasing overdue invoices. As von Hagen told Observer, “Beta testers shared personal stories and sought relationship advice, not just email-related tasks. This taught us that personality, conversationality, and emotional intelligence were as important as technical performance.”
Interaction has announced a $15 million seed round, valuing the company at $100 million, with investors like General Catalyst and Village Global leading the charge. The funding will help the company expand its reach and improve its AI technology, which combines models from top AI research organizations like Anthropic, OpenAI, and Mistral AI. As Yuri Sagalov, managing director at General Catalyst, noted, “Interacting with Poke over iMessage is like having an assistant that interacts in a tone almost like a close friend. It shows personality and demonstrates an understanding of you, making the experience feel both personal and useful.”
However, as with any AI-powered assistant, there are concerns about privacy and scaling. Von Hagen and Schlegel acknowledge these concerns and are working to address them head-on. Interaction is building on SOC 2 compliance standards and planning integrations with financial services, scheduling, and team tools. As Schlegel explained, “By default, our users are in ‘Maximum Privacy’ mode, which creates a complete data firewall, so even our engineers can’t access conversations or emails. We’re transparent about what data Poke needs to function and why, giving users granular control over what they share.”
As Interaction looks to expand its reach beyond Silicon Valley, the company will need to prioritize localization and build distributed infrastructure to reduce response times outside the US. As Schlegel noted, “A family in Mumbai might use Poke in Hindi on WhatsApp with intermittent connectivity, which presents very different challenges than serving Palo Alto founders on the latest iPhone.” With its innovative approach to AI assistants and a strong focus on user experience, Interaction is poised to make a significant impact in the tech industry. As von Hagen and Schlegel continue to push the boundaries of what AI can do, one thing is clear: the future of AI assistants is looking brighter than ever.
Image Source: observer.com
