It’s not beer. However, the tool some of Nonsuch Brewing Co.’s founders are creating might be able to list options on tap, give brewery locations and a summary of events happening nearby — all in a text.
“(It’s) essentially like you’re talking to a real human being,” said Ty Johnston.
He and Ben Myers are co-owners of Nonsuch, a popular Exchange District brewery in Winnipeg. Simultaneously, they’re trying on new hats as co-founders of Robin, an artificial intelligence-based platform.
Robin answers users’ questions about specific events and organizations via text message. The first trial was at Nuit Blanche in Saskatoon this year: attendees scanned QR codes leading them to their phone’s messaging app, where they could ask Robin Nuit Blanche-specific questions.
The tool is still in its pilot phase, Johnston and Myers emphasized — but they have big hopes for its future.
“We’re iterating, and we’re learning from the behaviours of our customers,” Myers said. “I want this company to make Manitoba proud.”
Myers has a background in user experience design and product management; Johnston is a web and graphic designer by trade. The pair — who’ve been friends since their days at Neelin High School in Brandon — regularly discuss and study technology.
At Winnipeg’s Nuit Blanche in 2022, they created an installation where customers would send texts to a phone number; those texts would be converted into a picture and projected on a wall.
The pair realized they could use a similar process involving artificial intelligence to share details about events. It could bridge communication gaps between organizations and consumers, they believed.
Since then, Myers has worked with new and existing artificial intelligence models to build the technology. Robin uses machine learning.
On its website, Robin instructs clients to put all organizational data in a Google Doc; Robin then uses the information when replying to texts.
“It was spitting out very relevant answers,” Myers said, recalling Saskatoon’s Nuit Blanche in September. “We were getting really good responses.”
Robin’s second trial is lasting indefinitely in the form of Bijou, the Exchange District Business Improvement Zone’s new guide.
“It’s just kind of a fun tool,” said David Pensato, BIZ executive director.
Myers and Johnston approached the Exchange District BIZ and it saw potential in the technology, Pensato said. People who text Bijou at 1-844-842-4568 (or 1-800-84-BIJOU) can ask Exchange District-related questions and receive answers.
Bijou knows upcoming events, building histories, shop recommendations and clean-up contacts, among other things.
When asked Thursday about places to grab a winter drink, Bijou gave two recommendations (Forth, which is permanently closed, and Clementine Cafe). It supplied three “wonderful local shops worth exploring” after being prompted.
(When told Forth had permanently closed and asked again for recommendations, Bijou requested a “quick moment” then provided three joints: VA Cafe, Darling Bar and Parlour Coffee, all operational businesses.)
Bijou is in its starter phase, Pensato noted, adding he’s hoping gaps will fill over time.
“We’ll see what the uptake is,” he said. “If it’s getting used a lot and people really appreciate it, we’ll keep it going and we’ll keep improving it.”
The BIZ — and all Robin clients — see inbound questions and Robin’s responses. It’s a better way to understand visitors, Pensato said.
North Forge is next on the list of clients. Myers is taking a start-up program at North Forge to build Robin; the program will soon use Robin as a tool.
“We’re very much ‘eating our own dog food,’” he said. “That’s the best way to learn, we’ve found.”
Robin will be trialed as an information hub for North Forge’s fabrication lab early next year, said president Joelle Foster.
Also in early 2025, Robin will be used within North Forge’s founders program with the goal of helping entrepreneurs on their individualized start-up plans. Robin will track entrepreneurs as they work through business plans and offer assistance using specific and generalized data from North Forge. It should know program participants based on their phone numbers.
Cybersecurity will be in place, Foster noted.
“(This is) a strong founding team,” she said, considering Robin. “They know what they’re doing, they’re passionate about it. I like the drive that they have.”
Robin’s co-founders pitched the technology to North Forge, leading to the pilot.
“If (they) can be first to market with something like this, then that puts (them) way ahead of the game,” Foster said.
Kelly Fournel, chief executive of Tech Manitoba, said she’s noticed an uptick in companies wanting to incorporate artificial intelligence into their business models.
Robin’s systems have a chance of hallucination, though they get more accurate with each response, Myers noted. He and Johnston said they return to the same question: how do we make Robin smarter?
The company advertises Robin at $49 per month. Its website (www.robin.guide) touts it as supporting more than 20 languages.
Gabrielle Piché
Reporter
Gabrielle Piché reports on business for the Free Press. She interned at the Free Press and worked for its sister outlet, Canstar Community News, before entering the business beat in 2021. Read more about Gabrielle.
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