From Automation to Augmentation: Jorge Alcantara at Integrait
Introduction
Jordi: Today, I'm thrilled to welcome a long-time colleague and friend, Jorge Alcántara. Jorge was instrumental in deploying some of the first large-scale transactional chatbots in the world. He is a pioneer in conversational AI, serving clients across Europe, USA, and LATAM.
The Vision of Integrait Solutions
Jordi: Integrait Solutions has the motto "Let Humans Focus on What Matters, Automate Everything Else." Can you share what inspired this vision and how it's shaping the AI products you create?
Jorge: It comes from my experience working in AI. I believe the most important asset any company has is human value. Our motto is about maximizing the value people generate by automating menial tasks. This allows them to focus on more meaningful work while keeping them in the decision-making seat.
Implementing Automation with LLMs and RAG
Jordi: LLMs and RAG create highly customized knowledge experts. How is Integrait helping businesses apply automation to their day-to-day operations?
Jorge: We work with a range of businesses, from large enterprises to small startups. The common problems we address are information access, bottlenecks, and time constraints. One solution we often implement is internal conversational assistants that use proprietary data to assist employees.
Jorge: We work with three main architectures: RAG (Retrieval Augmented Generation), wrappers for deterministic interactions, and agents. Lately, we've been exploring agents to automate complex tasks that require reasoning, which has been a focus for the past six months.
Upcoming Product Launch
Jordi: I heard you're launching a new product soon. Can you share some insights into what this MVP will do?
Jorge: We're building a platform for hybrid workforce management, where humans collaborate with AI agents. We're starting with product managers, who often spend 50% of their time on low-creativity, high-knowledge tasks like planning, documentation, and reporting. Our goal is to automate these tasks so they can focus on high-value work.
Success Stories and Practical Use Cases
Jordi: Can you share some success stories where Integrait made a significant impact for your clients?
Jorge: One example is a communications consulting company that needed help with ESG analysis. They initially wanted a tool to generate a 200-page report automatically. We explored the problem and ended up building a system that normalizes multiple data sources, provides insights, and scores reports. This created a SaaS product that expanded their business offerings, opening up new markets they hadn't considered before.
The Future of AI
Jordi: How do you see AI evolving in the next 5-10 years?
Jorge: We are in the "elbow of the exponential curve." I believe we will reach AGI (Artificial General Intelligence) in a limited capacity within the next decade. However, there are dangers, such as increasing the wealth gap and regulatory challenges. I foresee a future where human work shifts to instructing machines rather than doing manual tasks.
Jorge: We might even see AI politicians and companies led by AI CEOs. But the real challenge is to steer AI development towards a positive future and avoid the dystopian outcomes.
Advice for Businesses
Jordi: What advice would you give to businesses looking to start with AI and automation but aren't sure where to begin?
Jorge: For entrepreneurs, just start building and share your work. For business owners, bring in external resources if needed and strategize how AI could reshape your business in the next 5-10 years. Ignoring AI is like choosing to stick with typewriters instead of computers; it's a handicap.
Jorge: Don't focus solely on automation. Think about how AI can enhance your business value, open up new lines of revenue, and grow your existing services. If you try to automate everything, you risk losing the essence of your company. Use AI as a tool to maximize value for your clients, not just to cut costs.
Contacting Jorge
Jordi: What's the best way for our audience to contact you?
Jorge: You can reach me on LinkedIn. For more information, visit our website. I'm always open to discussions about AI and working with entrepreneurs.
Conclusion
Jordi: Thank you, Jorge, for your time and insights. It was great having you on the show.
Jorge: Thank you, Jordi. Looking forward to our next chat!