Zapier Acquires Vowel Team and Launches AI Automation Service Zapier Central

Zapier is a name that will be familiar to companies that have explored workflow automation, and like so many other tech firms, it is now grabbing a slice of AI pie.

Announcing the acquisition of the team behind the AI-powered video conferencing tool Vowel, Zapier has also launched a new AI-focused service called Zapier Central. Currently in preview, this is a workspace for creating and using AI bots to help with task automation and workflow optimization.

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Zapier Central is described as “an experimental AI workspace where you can teach bots to work across 6,000+ apps”. It sees Zapier evolving its automation technology and philosophy to embrace the AI age.

The company says:

With the acquisition of Vowel and the launch of Zapier Central, Zapier continues its commitment to bringing AI and automation to everyone, regardless of their technical experience or company size. In doing so, Zapier believes AI and automation will transform the way organizations operate and help them scale faster than before.

The aim with Zapier Central is to place the power of AI into everyone’s hands, regardless of their level of technical ability. As part of the new venture, Vowel’s CEO, Andrew Berman, is becoming the new Director of AI at Zapier. He says:

We were customers of Zapier, using them as our integration layer, and envisioned Vowel evolving into an AI command center for companies querying apps and initiating actions via natural language. It was then that we connected with the Zapier team, discussed what we were building, and saw the intersections with what they wanted to launch.

More information about Zapier Central is available here.

Image credit: Timon Schneider / Dreamstime.com