Key facts
- Vinod Khosla believes Wajo is the most trustworthy AI agent due to its focus on trust and safety.
- Wajo can operate across iMessage and WhatsApp, and make calls on behalf of users.
- The agent can create virtual credit cards to make payments without disclosing user details.
- Wajo has received backing from Jeff Dean and Gokul Rajaram.
- The startup has seen 10x growth since its late September launch and operates in 107 countries.
- Wajo's founder, Shivani Poddar, highlighted trust as a foundational principle for the agent.
Venture capitalist Vinod Khosla has placed his bet on Wajo, an AI agent startup founded by Shivani Poddar, a former engineer at Google and DeepMind, citing trust as the most critical factor in the personal-agent market.
Khosla stated that Wajo is architected with trust and safety as its primary focus, differentiating it from competitors like Meta's Muse and OpenAI's Dot. He expressed skepticism about giving personal data to large companies like Meta, suggesting that users become the product in such scenarios.
Wajo's agent functions similarly to other leading agents, operating across iMessage and WhatsApp with a web interface. It categorizes tasks such as scheduling and gifting, and can make calls on behalf of users to book or cancel services. In early tests, the agent successfully called an airline to check for upgrades, though its ability to remind a partner to feed cats was less smooth, highlighting potential disclosure issues in AI calling.
Unique features of Wajo include the ability to hire a human for complex tasks and the creation of virtual credit cards that shield user details during online payments. The agent also manages its own email communications and can navigate websites that block AI agents by informing the user or facilitating verification.
Poddar, who previously worked on Meta's first assistant and Google's Gemini, emphasized that building trust from the outset is crucial, as AI agents, once given access to personal data, retain it. She aims for Wajo to be a product that is both technologically advanced and grounded in user needs.
Wajo has applied for a patent for its virtual card system and plans to implement a "trusted contact" list for users. The startup claims its architecture adheres to e-commerce service terms of service, even as rivals like Muse have faced blocks. Future plans include exploring Wajo's functionality in multi-user social settings while prioritizing privacy.