Kansas City Innovators Launch AI Initiative to Assist Hurricane Recovery Efforts

Kansas City Companies Step Up to Aid Hurricane Recovery with AI

In a remarkable blend of technology and compassion, two innovative companies from Kansas City are coming together to provide much-needed disaster recovery services to individuals affected by hurricanes along the Southeast coast. This collaboration is driven by a mission to help communities bounce back quickly after devastating storms.

Turning Concern into Action

The inspiration for this project sparked when Nick Smith, the CEO of Sailes Inc., watched the coverage of Hurricane Helene impacting Florida. As a Kansas City native, he felt a strong urge to do something to help. With his company specializing in artificial intelligence solutions, Smith quickly realized that one of their innovative products could play a vital role in supporting relief efforts. So, he reached out to his long-time contact at JR & Co., a local construction and roofing contractor.

Smith outlined his vision: to utilize Sailes’ AI technology to connect hurricane victims with JR & Co.’s disaster recovery services. Autumne Peth, Sailes’ head of marketing, emphasized the importance of quick action during crises like these. “During a disaster, getting your roof repaired is critical, and the longer it takes to get connected to that, the tougher it is for those individuals and the more damage there is,” she said. “Our goal is really to get this deployed as quickly as possible.”

The Creation of Sailesbot

Just two hours after the hurricane made landfall on September 26, Smith’s team swung into action. They set to work building a special version of their AI-driven robot, affectionately dubbed the Sailesbot. This specific model was programmed to reach out to homeowners and businesses residing in the most affected ZIP codes across Florida, as well as in North and South Carolina.

By early the next day, they had completed the programming of the Sailesbot. With its advanced capabilities, the bot mimicked the outreach that JR & Co.’s disaster team would usually handle manually but did so at a much faster pace. Already, the Sailesbot identified an astonishing 42,000 contacts for JR & Co., ensuring that assistance gets to those who need it most without delay.

Helping, Not Profiting

A key aspect of this initiative is that Sailes is not charging for the use of its bots in this urgent effort. “We’re here to help,” Peth noted, underscoring the companies’ commitment to supporting the community during a trying time.

The rapid development of the Sailesbot was made possible because Sailes has been consistently refining its AI models since its launch in 2019. With a recent move to an office in the Crossroads Arts District of Kansas City in July, the company has been focusing on innovation. A particularly recent upgrade included the introduction of Sailesbot 2, which automates parts of the sales process like identifying new contacts and launching targeted email campaigns.

A New Hope for Recovery

Peth explained that transitioning the Sailesbot to assist with disaster recovery was a smooth process due to the existing backlog of machine learning models. Each Sailesbot is customized to align with the unique needs of individual salespersons and the companies they represent. “It was pretty seamless for us to shift the way those models operate to focus on disaster recovery and to target specific areas that required outreach,” she added.

Looking to the Future

The efforts with JR & Co. are just the starting point for this partnership. Peth shared her enthusiastic vision for expanding Sailes’ operations into other areas a community might need, saying, “If we’re able to achieve that with this Sailesbot and really stay true to our mission of making human lives better, then we can certainly continue to develop similar use cases down the road.”

As these companies rally to support hurricane recovery, they set a powerful example of how technology and human kindness can come together to create effective solutions in times of need.