South Africanbusinessman and entrepreneur Eldrid Jordaan’s Suppple business venture looks to take on search engine giants like Google with its latest artificial intelligence (AI)-powered platform.
Named seeek.ai, it is described as an AI-powered multilingual conversational search engine crafted to democratise information access across the African continent.
Designed with a mobile-first approach, it uses natural language to provide answers to user queries, and is currently in beta stage.
Suppple plans to officially launch seeek.ai in early 2025, Jordaan tells ITWeb.
“Our journey from start-up origins has shaped our vision for seeek.ai, bringing a unique perspective that serves local needs with world-class innovation,” he says. “Seeek.ai is built for Africa, with the adaptability and insight to elevate digital transformation on a regional scale.”
Jordaan notes seeek.ai is designed to provide a more intuitive and conversational experience, which feels like a real dialogue rather than a typical online search.
Users can receive accurate, real-time answers in their preferred languages – including French, Swahili, Arabic, English, and five South African languages – isiZulu, isiXhosa, Afrikaans, Sesotho and Setswana.
Jordaan says the platform can provide a range of information, including answers to user queries in various fields, as well as access to simplified information from complex government portals.
“This will help users engage with public services and other essential resources in a streamlined, accessible format. The technology is designed to provide users with concise, informative answers to their queries by utilising advanced natural language processing and real-time web searching capabilities.”
Digital inclusivity
Seeek.ai’s development comes as players in the local AI space are creating solutions that are inclusive, resonate with African audiences and meet the continent’s diverse linguistic needs.
For example, home-grown AI research and product lab Lelapa AI was founded out of the need to address how AI can be used for solutions and applications from an African lens. It develops speech recognition tools for African languages.
Jordaan says seeek.ai was developed with the motivation to transform how users interact with information online.
“Suppple saw an opportunity to democratise information in Africa, particularly in the public sector, by offering users a tool that delivers accessible, real-time information in their own languages.
“Africa is now at theforefront of technological innovation − long gone are the days when Africanswere mere consumers of technology. Today, we are creating solutions with aglobal impact.”
The search engine platform differs from Google, as instead of just providing translated results, seeek.ai engages users, offering context-specific, accurate answers directly in multiple African languages, says Jordaan.
“Seeek.ai is a conversational AI search engine that provides contextual, direct answers, including translations, with a focus on dialogue and personalisation.
“Google is a traditional search engine that provides results based on keyword matching, including translation tools, but typically requires more user interaction to refine results and navigate through various resources.
“In essence, seeek.ai provides a fluid, context-sensitive and conversational approach to information and translation, whereas Google relies on indexed content and requires more traditional search interaction.”
Evolving tech landscape
Jordaan and Goitse Konopi, former CEO and chief data officer of citizen engagement platform GovChat, announced their technology company Suppple last year.
With its origins in Cape Town, Suppple is incorporated and registered in the UK. Earlier this year, the firm announced its provisional listing on the Luxembourg Stock Exchange, marking a step towards further expansion and growth.
Suppple has also emphasised its commitment to delivering digital solutions tailored to Africa’s unique needs.
With seeek.ai, Suppple believes it will be easier for African users to access information in their preferred languages, while enhancing digital inclusivity, supporting multilingual communication, and providing government bodies with an effective tool to engage citizens transparently.
“The conversational format also encourages active learning and critical thinking. The seeek.ai-powered search engine provides several key advantages that make it a more natural and effective way to find information online.
“By creating a more conversational and adaptive search experience, this approach makes it easier to access, refine and personalise information, helping users find what they need with greater ease and efficiency.”
Beyond individual use, Suppple envisions seeek.ai as a strategic asset for government collaboration, transforming complex information portals, such as government websites, into user-friendly, AI-enhanced experiences.
“With seeek.ai, government bodies can bridge the digital divide, providing transparent and accessible information to millions of people,” concludes Jordaan.
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