The Ticket: Discover the Future of Customer Service, Support, and Experience, with Intercom

Becoming Fin: The story behind the name of our AI chatbot

·13 min·1 clip

Alyssa Smarker reveals how naming her dog Oreo contrasts with the high-stakes process of naming Intercom's AI chatbot.

The episode begins with Alyssa Smarker sharing a personal anecdote about naming her dog Oreo, contrasting it with the challenge of naming a product. It introduces Finn as Intercom's new AI chatbot powered by GPT-4 and machine learning. Emma Connolly discusses why Intercom chose to give the bot a personal name like Finn instead of a generic one, emphasizing it should feel like a team member. The hosts explain that the naming process happened quickly due to the fast-paced AI development, with no time for lengthy branding exercises. They generated hundreds of names, including Kai, Amy, and Liam, and evaluated them based on sound and associations. The team whittled down options considering factors like pronunciation, gender neutrality, and friendliness. The name Finn was selected partly for its connection to Irish mythology, specifically the Salmon of Knowledge story about Finn McCool. Internally, this infused the name with meaning, though they acknowledge customers might not notice it. The episode notes that the name 'Finn' also plays on the word 'finish', implying resolution. After launch, Intercom allows customers to rename the bot and customize its avatar to match their brand's tone. The hosts reflect on how product quality ultimately matters more than the name, using Smashing Pumpkins as an example. The episode concludes with lighthearted stories about naming pets, tying back to the opening theme.

As heard by us

A chatbot naming story that turns discarded options into a sharp lesson in how products acquire meaning.

Intercom's chatbot Finn starts with a naming problem, then turns into a useful product question: should an AI bot feel like another tool, or like something a customer-service team can add to its lineup?

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Why you'd press play

You get the dog-name warm-up, then a doc full of possible product names before Finn starts feeling inevitable.

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