What Saima Does
Saima is a browser extension that increases audio & video comprehension, memorization, and focus by introducing an AI-based personalized adaptive speed solution. It optimizes the watch speed in real time, removes long pauses, and trains your brain to keep focus and consume more in even less time.
Saima Current Landscape
Understanding a language is a HUGE unsolved problem in the world. If you ask any non-native speaker what problems they have understanding a native speaker, everyone will say the following:
a. the pace
b. the accent
c. and vocabulary
And this becomes a very HUGE problem when they speak about the English language which is considered to be the world language.
Our brain, our human processor operates uniquely for each of us, however, when video content is being recorded it’s recorded with one pace fits all logic.
Existing media players do not personalize the experience to users’ cognitive abilities especially, very little attention is being paid to non- native English speakers’ needs. Saima, in cooperation with neuroscientists, is on the mission to take full ownership of “the pace” domain and make English more understandable and accessible for non-native speakers.
Company Birth Story
It all started from Saima’s co-founder Mnatsakan’s personal problem. He started an online degree program at the University of Michigan. He soon realized that as a non-native English speaker and one who has attention issues, he was struggling to keep up with the fast pace of his video lectures. He started playing his videos at x0.75 speed, it helped him understand some parts, but it was a torture overall, as all the pauses and slow parts were even slower. He seriously thought about dropping out. But, this is when he shared his problem with his co-founder Shushan, who could relate to his problem as she was an exchange student in the US back in high school. This is when they started working on the solution and this is how Saima was born.
The Solution
In cooperation with neuroscientists, Saima identifies the Words Per Minute consumption capability for each user individually and automatically adjusts the video each user’s best comprehension. The product is in the form of Chrome Extension, which has launched several weeks ago.
The company is planning on introducing some complex technological solutions in the future, which includes complicated words replacement (generative AI), text difficulty algorithms and computer vision models.
The big vision for the company is the personalize the video watching experience in the world, including media and movies.
The Team Culture
Armenia’s top neuroscientist (Prof. Manvelian) who is a UCSF postdoc and a PHD stands behind the personalization algorithms. Saima’s CTO is a rocket scientist and together with Mnatsakan stands behind the complex AI and machine learning algorithms. Saima has fantastic team of super dedicated professionals, AND the team has a superpower: almost no one was paid for the first 1 year. A team of non-native English speakers believes in the company success and also believe that they will start being paid eventually.
Check it out : https://saima.ai/
Follow on social: