Automated Insights

Automated Insights
Private
Industry
Founder
  • Robbie Allen
Headquarters Durham, North Carolina, United States
Products
  • Wordsmith
  • Wordsmith for Marketing
Website automatedinsights.com

Automated Insights is an American-based technology company that analyzes patterns in big data and turns them into readable narratives.[1]

Output

Automated Insights (Ai) generates personalized recaps and previews for Yahoo Sports Fantasy Football.[2]

In April 2014, the company launched Wordsmith for Marketing, which automates client reporting for digital marketing agencies.[3]

In June 2014, The Associated Press announced it would use automation technology from Automated Insights to produce most of its U.S. corporate earnings stories. AP said automation would boost its output of quarterly earnings stories nearly fifteen-fold, further noting that the technology would “free journalists to do more journalism and less data processing.”[4]

The company is projected to generate one billion stories in 2014.[5] Ai's 2013 output of 300 million stories was greater than the combined output of all major media companies.[6]

Recognition

Ai received significant media attention following the AP announcement. TechCrunch reporter Alex Wilhelm said he was “downright excited about the development,” noting that “[e]arnings season makes most reporters want to poke their eyes out with sharp objects.”[7] Kevin Roose of New York Magazine called automated reporting “the best thing to happen to journalists in a long time.”[8]

As one of ten presenters at the first ever Google for Entrepreneurs Demo Day, the company received a $100,000 investment commitment from AOL co-founder Steve Case.[9]

The Triangle Business Journal named Automated Insights one of the Best Places to Work in the Triangle in 2012, 2013, and 2014.[10][11][12]

In 2013, the company received a Most Innovative Internet/New Media Company from the North Carolina Technology Association.[13]

History

The company was founded by current CEO Robbie Allen while he was a full-time engineer at Cisco Systems.[14] Formerly known as StatSheet, the company changed its name to Automated Insights in 2011 to mark its expansion into non-sports topics such as finance and real estate.[15]

Automated Insights was acquired by Vista Equity Partners in February of 2015, but remains independent.[16]

Competitors

Competing companies in the Natural Language Generation industry include Yseop, Inc, a multinational software company headquartered in Dallas, Texas.[17] and Narrative Science an American-based computer software company based in Chicago.[18] Other similar companies in the area of Natural language generation include Arria NLG[19] and Linguastat.[20]

External links

References

  1. ↑ Harrison, J.D. "Steve Case makes a spur-of-the-moment million-dollar investment in 10 start-ups". Washington Post.
  2. ↑ Eule, Alexander. "Big Data and Yahoo's Quest for Mass Personalization". Barron's.
  3. ↑ "Automated Insights' Wordsmith for Marketing Transforms Big Data Into Readable Client Reports [Tech Profile]". HubSpot Blogs.
  4. ↑ Colford, Paul. "A leap forward in quarterly earnings stories". The Definitive Source. The Associated Press.
  5. ↑ Kirkland, Sam. "‘Robot’ to write 1 billion stories in 2014 — but will you know it when you see it?". Poynter.
  6. ↑ Ulanoff, Lance. "Need to Write 5 Million Stories a Week? Robot Reporters to the Rescue". Mashable.
  7. ↑ Wilhelm, Alex. "Bring On The Blogging Robots". TechCrunch.
  8. ↑ Roose, Kevin. "Robots Are Invading the News Business, and It’s Great for Journalists". New York Magazine.
  9. ↑ Clifford, Catherine. "This Billionaire Just Gave 10 Startups $100,000 Each on a Whim". Entrepreneur.
  10. ↑ Baysden, Chris. "TBJ unveils 2012 best places to work". Triangle Business Journal.
  11. ↑ Snipes, Cameron. "TBJ reveals 2013 Best Places to Work". Triangle Business Journal.
  12. ↑ Snipes, Cameron. "TBJ reveals 2014 Best Places to Work". Triangle Business Journal.
  13. ↑ "21 Awards Winners". North Carolina Technology Association.
  14. ↑ Ranii, David. "Sports stats aren't just a hobby now". News & Observer.
  15. ↑ Wauters, Robin. "StatSheet Changes Name To Automated Insights, Scores $4 Million". TechCrunch.
  16. ↑ Lunden, Ingrid. "Vista Acquires Automated Insights, The Startup Behind The AP’s “Robot” News Writing". TechCrunch.
  17. ↑ Woods, Dan. "Why You Should Hire A Robot To Write For You". http://www.forbes.com/sites/danwoods/2014/08/28/why-you-should-hire-a-robot-to-write-for-you/
  18. ↑ Pletz, John. "Narrative Science gets $11.5 million to write next chapter". Crain's Chicago Business. Crain's. Retrieved 6 June 2014.
  19. ↑ Woods, Dan. "Why You Should Hire A Robot To Write For You". http://www.forbes.com/sites/danwoods/2014/08/28/why-you-should-hire-a-robot-to-write-for-you/
  20. ↑ Woods, Dan. "Why You Should Hire A Robot To Write For You". http://www.forbes.com/sites/danwoods/2014/08/28/why-you-should-hire-a-robot-to-write-for-you/