Order worth millions

The “dads” of Klara and Fred

Dieter Perndl (right) was already self-employed when he met his co-founder Dominik Aumayr (left).

(Bild: Wenzel Markus)

Interactive helpers that provide advice and assistance - this is how chatbots are often described on the websites of companies and public institutions. A company from Linz is very popular with its AI chatbot technology - in Germany too.

"Hello, I'm Fred! Ask me questions or use the selection," reads the dialog box that opens after opening the website of the Ministry of Finance. "Hello, I'm Klara," reads the same message on the ÖAMTC website.

From ministries and automobile clubs to the online presences of cities: More and more are turning to chatbots that are given names and communicate with and help website visitors.

The fact that we have many customers from the public sector came about as a result. The City of Vienna was our first customer in 2018, followed by the Federal Audit Office.

Dominik Aumayr aus Tragwein baute schon früh Webseiten

Ubitec from Linz is often behind this. "We build systems for automated question answering," explains Dieter Perndl. The 42-year-old from Altenberg met his co-founder Dominik Aumayr in 2017, and a year later Perndl and the now 35-year-old from Tragwein hit the ground running.

The Linzers' expertise is behind the chats of the Austrian Ministry of Finance and the ÖAMTC, for example.

(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Screenshot (2))

"Making computers talk" is the motto of the now 16-strong team, which has its office in the tobacco factory in Linz. As a service provider, they install the appropriate software, develop the design, create the content and manage the operation. They primarily serve customers who have high data protection requirements and need to provide legally compliant answers.

Trust worth millions from the German federal administration
Thanks to a framework agreement worth 45 million euros, AI chatbot technology is now being used in the German federal administration. Unlike many start-ups, Ubitec is modest when it comes to its goals. "We don't want to leave our mark on the world, we are looking for a stable situation with prospects," say Perndl and Aumayr.