Palona is trained on the brand’s existing catalog and knowledge base and is designed to then be a personalized sales agent. The tech is powered by several large language models, like OpenAI’s ChatGPT, but Howe says the company has a separate patent-pending model that acts as a supervisor for all conversations. So if the chat deviates from all things Wyze, the supervisor model knows how to bring it back around to stay on topic. Zhang says Palona is built with an “emotional intelligence” language model designed to be effective in sales; the bot is familiar with things like humor, modern messaging etiquette, and “gentle persuasion.”
Photograph: Palona
Wyze’s chatbot is personified as a wizard, so its responses are on theme. When I asked it what the best security camera was, it said, “Let me guide you through some enchanting options.” The results were all obviously Wyze products, but that doesn’t mean you can’t ask about competitors. When I asked if the Nest Cam is better, the Wyze Wizard offered up pros for Wyze’s Cam V4 and a few for the Nest Cam but ultimately said the Nest has a heftier price. “Ultimately, if you’re seeking magical protection without breaking the bank, Wyze Cam V4 stands out as a beloved choice by many.”
It also uses that opportunity to upsell Wyze’s subscription plan. Almost every time I asked a product-related question to Wyze’s Wizard, it ended with a recommendation to snag Wyze’s Cam Plus Plan. (Just like a real salesperson!) There’s a memory capability in Palona too. It can build a customer profile so the chatbot can remember your preferences the next time, though it may be more useful for Jimmy the Surfer to remember that you like pineapple pizza than for Wyze’s Wizard to know your security camera concerns.
Photograph: Palona
“We believe that this is going to be the preferred interactive model for consumers,” Zhang says, citing that younger people are faster to embrace conversational interfaces. Think about asking ChatGPT a question versus a traditional Google Search. Now you can ask a brand directly anything about its catalog instead of trying to find it through a normal Amazon search, or at least that’s what Palona envisions.
Palona AI isn’t the first or only company to employ AI as a salesperson—Big Sur AI is another that promises a similar chat-style experience that lets you ask questions about products but is also trained to help companies boost sales. Unlike human salespeople, these AI bots don’t get a commission. That just might make them all the more enticing for businesses to use.
