ServiceNow acquires Parlo, AI workforce solution

ServiceNow announced it has agreed to acquire Silicon Valley-based Parlo, an artificial intelligence (AI) and natural language understanding (NLU) workforce solution, in an all‑cash transaction expected to close this month.

Parlo's algorithms make interacting with machines more conversational, which makes getting work done faster, easier and more enjoyable.

ServiceNow will add the Parlo technology across its entire suite of services on the Now Platform.

This acquisition signals the company's continuing investment in the power of AI to free employees to do more meaningful and satisfying work and accelerate positive business outcomes.

NLU addresses a challenging area for AI: understanding the nuances of human language.

People understand mispronunciations, swapped words, contractions and jargon, but everyday conversations can be challenging for machines.

NLU supposedly helps overcome that hurdle, transforming machines into more productive, conversational co-workers.

Just as AI and NLU are making our homes smarter and our personal lives easier, ServiceNow is supposedly committed to enabling the same conversational convenience at work.

ServiceNow VP David Oakley says, "We are rapidly moving away from structured data such as filling in forms and data fields, towards unstructured interactions with machines such as free-form text, voice and gestures.

"Our goal is to make everyday work interactions simple, accessible and natural for everyone.

ServiceNow's intelligent automation capabilities help:

• Improve agent-employee and customer interactions with more human-like conversations.
• Drive complex actions to resolution quickly through intelligent agents.
• Automate filling out forms and prioritising service tickets.
• Make it faster and easier for partners and customers to develop intelligent apps using the Now Platform.

Parlo CEO Murali Subbarao says, "Our technology helps machines make sense of human speech, allowing employees to use systems naturally and not forcing them to speak or think like a machine.

"This transaction allows our work to have a positive impact on hundreds of thousands of people by making their work experience easier, more efficient and more satisfying."