SoundHound AI's CEO On AI Agents Transforming The World: 'This Is An Inevitable Evolution'

Following SoundHound AI‘s SOUN earnings beat, Benzinga caught up with its founder and CEO, Keyvan Mohajer, to discuss the latest developments and plans for 2025.

BZ: You have added so many brands under your umbrella. As a scientist who has worked on this technology for over two decades, how does it feel to see it in real life?

Mohajer: It is incredibly rewarding to see the technology we have worked on for decades come to life across so many major brands and industries. SoundHound started 20 years ago in a Stanford dorm room. In the early days, someone told me the second reason startups fail is because they build something no one wants (the first reason is that they run out of money). SoundHound has come a long way.

Today, our voice AI powers hundreds of global enterprise brands, thousands of restaurant and retail locations, and millions of vehicles and devices – but this is only the beginning. Our mission is to voice-enable the world with conversational intelligence.

BZ: Can you recall the moment when you saw SoundHound's tech used in public for the first time?

Mohajer: We had quite a few of those in the earlier days. But the one I want to share is when one of our internal demos went viral back in 2015. We had worked for 10 years in stealth to build it, so seeing how much people cared about it was meaningful and rewarding. It got millions of views and was the #1 post on Reddit with the title, "This is insane." It is important to note how much ahead of others we were. This was 10 years ago, before large language models (LLMs). We have continued to maintain our leadership in technology and innovation and are very proud of it.

BZ: You recently unveiled its Brand Personalities feature. Could you tell us the initial feedback from the partners?

Mohajer: Our customers choose us, among other things, because we give them the best technology under their brand, and we let them differentiate, innovate, and customize. Our SoundHound Chat AI Brand Personality feature takes this to a new level. It gives automakers full control over their voice assistant's personality, including response style, character, and energy, to enhance user experience and brand loyalty. Since launching in January, the response from partners and prospects has been overwhelmingly positive.

BZ: You have major partnerships with automakers and quick-service restaurants. Are there any new verticals you're actively exploring, and how do you determine which industries align best with your voice AI capabilities?

Mohajer: We believe every industry will need voice AI. Our business is built on two key predictions: first, that users will choose voice as their preferred method of interacting with technology, and second, that AI-powered customer service will be as necessary for every business as WiFi and electricity.  

SoundHound provides solutions for both, offering branded AI assistants for products and AI customer service for businesses. While we have strong partnerships in automotive and quick service restaurants, we are also expanding into retail, healthcare, financial services, and beyond. Our largest deal in Q4 2024 was in energy, marking a major step into a new industry added to our portfolio. Because of our proprietary technology, we can extend into any sector, scaling our solutions to benefit both customers and employees. I like to say that restaurants are to SoundHound what books were to Amazon — we are just getting started. 

BZ: Can we expect significant product enhancements or new AI-driven capabilities in 2025?

Mohajer: One of the innovations we're most excited about is our newly unveiled voice commerce ecosystem. SoundHound has pioneered this vision for years, and the concept is simple yet powerful. As mentioned, we provide AI assistants for products and AI customer service for businesses. Now, we're combining them, allowing users of products powered by our voice assistant to seamlessly transact with businesses using our AI customer service solution.

At CES, we demonstrated this end-to-end experience with a driver discovering food options and placing an order through their in-vehicle voice assistant using natural speech. This ecosystem benefits everyone: it enhances convenience and safety for users, drives new leads for merchants, and creates a monetizable opportunity for SoundHound, with revenue-sharing potential for OEMs.

Beyond voice commerce, we're also at the forefront of the agentic AI revolution. We believe the world is transforming from an ecosystem of APIs to an ecosystem of AI Agents. As a pure-play AI software company with deep expertise in voice and conversational AI and enterprise-grade solutions, we are uniquely positioned to lead this next wave of innovation. This is an inevitable evolution in AI functionality for our customers, adding a new dimension to our existing capabilities and impact, and we're excited to bring our solutions to market soon.

BZ: Artificial Intelligence has been the leading force in this market cycle, often causing significant volatility. Recently, your stock dropped owing to Nvidia’s divestment, yet the public might have overlooked that they held only a minor stake. Do you believe the irrational exuberance of AI is behind us?

Mohajer: Regardless of short-term volatility, our long-term vision remains focused on delivering real-world AI solutions that drive value across industries. The AI market is evolving, moving from hype to practical adoptions, and we are seeing increasing demand for our solutions – moving from an exploration in an innovation budget to a corporate mandate. 

As for Nvidia, they have been a great partner, and our collaboration remains strong. We worked together at CES with a joint demo in our booth, and we're excited to showcase more of our work together at GTC next month in San Jose.

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