Smartphone Keyboard Revolution: Acti Startup Launches AI Agents

The usual typing process for smartphone users is on the verge of a fundamental change. Singapore-based startup Acti has introduced a new generation keyboard designed for iOS and Android operating systems. This is not just a word-prediction app, but an agentic keyboard capable of performing various actions on behalf of the user. According to TechCrunch, this technology brings AI capabilities directly into messengers, email, and social networks. This is reported by Techcrunch.com report provides.

Young Wang, founder and CEO of Acti, noted that today users are constantly forced to switch between apps to utilize AI capabilities. For example, to find certain information, one must pause a conversation and turn to a browser or bots like ChatGPT. Acti works as a single layer over all apps, providing assistance while maintaining the user's context.

Eliminating Inter-App Barriers

The new keyboard understands the user's intent and turns it into action. For instance, if you are texting a friend about having lunch, Acti can recommend nearby restaurants directly within the chat. If a company's stocks are mentioned in the conversation, there is an option to immediately share real-time prices via the keyboard. This saves user time and makes digital communication more efficient.

The system's technical foundation is powered by Google's Gemini models. Young Wang explained that Gemini was chosen for its speed, reliability, and strong performance in multilingual environments. Using these models, a feature called "Skills" has been implemented in the keyboard. With a single button press, users can automate complex tasks, such as translating a message or creating a meeting link.

Security and Privacy Issues

It is natural for many users to be concerned about the leakage of personal data through the keyboard. The Acti team addressed this specifically, stating that the app is built on a "local-first" model. This means that the user's personal context is primarily stored on the device itself. The company guarantees that personal messages or conversations will not be sent to external servers without user permission.

Project leader Young Wang is an expert with extensive experience in the keyboard industry. He worked at Baidu for ten years, growing the Facemoji Keyboard audience to 300 million daily active users. In his view, in the era of Large Language Models (LLM), text is no longer just a collection of letters, but a carrier of user intent. Acti aims to be the tool that realizes this intent.

Currently, the Acti keyboard is seen as the foundation for the era of AI agents. By installing the app, users can turn almost any text field on their smartphones into a smart assistant. Such solutions are expected to completely change the culture of using mobile devices in the future.