Just a few decades ago, video calling first became a reality in 1964 when AT&T introduced the Picture-phone at the World’s Fair, a clunky and expensive device that never took off. Fast forward to 2003, and Skype emerged, finally making video calls accessible to the masses, albeit with pixelated images and frequent connection drops.
By 2020, the pandemic catapulted various video-calling platforms into the spotlight. Yet, this rapid evolution is just the beginning.
With AI-driven enhancements, video calling is no longer just about seeing and hearing—it’s about understanding, adapting, and bridging distances with an unprecedented level of sophistication. The technology that once struggled to make eye contact is now on the cusp of making real-time communication feel more human than ever before.
But what about the other side of the coin? With all the benefits a new technology offers, also brings many challenges. In a conversation with CIO&Leader, Ranga Jagannath, Senior Director – Growth, Agora discusses the challenges, the next step in evolution and more. Below are the excerpts from the interview.
Senior Director – Growth,
Agora
CIO&Leader: Can you provide an overview of Agora’s mission in real-time engagement APIs, and how it differentiates itself in the market?
Ranga Jagannath: Agora’s mission is to make real-time engagement widely accessible, allowing everyone to interact with anyone, anytime, and anywhere. We are dedicated to empowering developers and businesses to create immersive and interactive experiences through its scalable, low-latency platform. The company offers real-time voice, video, and live streaming features that can be seamlessly integrated into various applications, whether for virtual events, online education, telehealth, or social apps.
Agora differentiates itself in the market through its global network, which ensures high-quality and low-latency connections even in regions with less robust infrastructure. Our commitment to innovation is reflected in continuous enhancements to AI-driven features, such as noise suppression and real-time video processing. With a developer-centric approach, we provide comprehensive SDKs and support and a flexible pricing model.
CIO&Leader: How does Agora incorporate AI into its voice, video, and chat interactions to enhance user experience? What specific AI-driven features set it apart?
Ranga Jagannath: Agora incorporates AI into its voice, video, and chat interactions to elevate the user experience by making real-time communication more seamless, immersive, and natural. AI-driven features include advanced noise suppression, filters out background noise to ensure clear audio in any environment, and real-time video processing that optimizes video quality based on network conditions, delivering smooth visuals even on low-bandwidth connections. The platform also uses AI for features like voice recognition and sentiment analysis in chat, enabling more personalized and responsive interactions.
What sets Agora apart in the realm of real-time communication is its continuous innovation in AI technology. For example, AI-powered background segmentation allows users to blur or replace backgrounds without needing green screens, enhancing privacy and visual appeal during video calls. Additionally, AI-driven real-time translation and transcription services enable cross-language communication, making the platform a versatile solution for global and multilingual applications.
CIO&Leader: Data security and privacy are critical, especially in AI-enhanced interactions. What measures does Agora take to safeguard user data while leveraging AI technologies?
Ranga Jagannath: We are committed to safeguarding user data, particularly in the context of AI-enhanced interactions, by implementing a range of security measures. A key strategy is the use of end-to-end encryption for all voice, video, and chat interactions, ensuring that data remains protected as it travels across networks. This encryption ensures that only authorized participants can access communications, preventing unauthorized access. Additionally, we adhere to the principle of data minimization, collecting only the essential data required to deliver and improve its services, thereby reducing the risk of unnecessary data exposure.
To further enhance privacy, AI-driven features like noise suppression and background segmentation on the edge are processed on the user’s device—whenever possible, minimizing data transmission. The company also ensures compliance with international data protection regulations such as GDPR and CCPA, upholding the highest data privacy standards. The secure AI models are designed to avoid retaining or exposing sensitive information during processing, protecting against potential data breaches and misuse. These comprehensive measures enable us to offer a secure and reliable real-time communication platform while responsibly leveraging AI’s power.
CIO&Leader: Maintaining low latency and high-quality connections is essential for real-time communication. What strategies does Agora employ to ensure seamless and reliable performance across the globe?
Ranga Jagannath: By leveraging its proprietary Software-Defined Real-Time Network (SD-RTN). This globally distributed network intelligently routes voice, video, and data streams through the most efficient paths, minimizing latency and packet loss. SD-RTN ensures that users experience consistent, high-quality communication even in regions with less robust infrastructure by adjusting to changing network conditions.
Additionally, with adaptive bitrate streaming, we ensure that users enjoy smooth, uninterrupted communication experiences, even during bandwidth fluctuations. This technology automatically adjusts audio and video quality based on the user’s network conditions. The global network of data centers further enhances performance by reducing the distance data needs to travel, which minimizes latency. We also focus on continuous network monitoring and optimization to deliver dependable real-time communication, ensuring users connect seamlessly and effectively.
CIO&Leader: With AI regulations still under development, there are concerns from businesses that these rules could stifle innovation and productivity. How is your platform preparing to navigate future AI regulations?
Ranga Jagannath: As AI regulations evolve, we acknowledge the concerns businesses have regarding potential impacts on innovation. However, we see these regulations as opportunities to ensure transparency, privacy, and ethical AI deployment. By actively engaging with regulatory bodies and adopting a proactive approach to compliance, we aim to strike a balance between innovation and responsible AI use. Our platform incorporates flexible AI-driven features that can adapt to regulatory requirements, enabling us to continue driving innovation while ensuring our clients’ needs and compliance are met.
CIO&Leader: From your perspective, what are the emerging trends and key developments in AI-driven communication technologies? How is Agora positioning itself to stay ahead of these trends?
Ranga Jagannath: AI-driven communication is seeing critical advances in personalization, real-time analytics, and immersive experiences through video and voice. Low-latency interactions powered by AI are becoming essential for more responsive and interactive user engagement. We are leveraging AI to enhance these real-time communication technologies, focusing on predictive user insights, content personalization, and seamless platform integration through our SDKs.
By continuously advancing our AI models and improving real-time capabilities, we ensure that our platform leads in delivering high-quality, adaptive communication experiences across industries.
CIO&Leader: Looking ahead, what is your strategic roadmap, and are there any significant plans for expanding or launching new initiatives in India for FY25?
Ranga Jagannath: Agora’s strategic roadmap for FY25 focuses on broadening its customer base and forging partnerships with top companies across key sectors, including EdTech, Gaming, LiveCommerce, Telehealth, and social media. We are enhancing its Conversational AI solutions with new features like real-time speech-to-text (STT), AI-powered noise suppression (AINS), and 3D spatial audio. These advancements aim to improve user experiences by providing clearer communication, immersive audio environments, and better accessibility in real-time applications.
We are always focused on innovation and enhancing our offerings to meet the evolving needs of our customers. As part of our growth strategy, we continuously explore various opportunities to strengthen our AI-driven solutions, whether that’s through partnerships, internal development, or other strategic avenues.