PolyAI raises $86M to transform how enterprises talk to their customers
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PolyAI Raises $86M Series D for AI Voice Agent Platform
Does AI innovation break basic voice assistant functions, or does this tech finally enable seamless interactions?
Above: Nikola Mrki, Co-founder & CEO, PolyAI in Lisbon, Portugal on Nov. 11, 2025. Image credit: Florencia Tan Jun/Sportsfile for Web Summit/Getty Images
The Spin
Techno-optimist narrative
This new round of fundraising will allow PolyAI to continue its amazing work. Breakthrough GPU-based speech decoding technology has finally solved the latency bottleneck plaguing voice agents. Real-time processing now enables instant, natural interactions that feel genuinely responsive. Open-source tools let developers build fast, private voice agents without closed APIs, delivering the seamless experience users deserve.
Techno-skeptic narrative
This extra fundraising may make things worse than they've become since the advent of AI. The AI revolution has destroyed what made voice assistants actually useful. Companies racing to deploy flashy new models have broken basic functions, like setting reminders and timers that worked reliably for years. This erosion of quality disguised as innovation has left users with chatbots that ramble instead of assistants that quietly help.
Metaculus Prediction
There's a 50% chance that the first general AI system will be devised, tested and publicly announced by August 2033, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
The Controversies
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© 2025 Improve the News Foundation.
All rights reserved.
Version 6.18.0