It started with a phone call. So does Asmi.
It started with a phone call from a close friend from my PhD days.
After a little chit-chat and a lot of catch-up, he asked me if I wanted to build something that actually helps people. Not in a vague, hand-wavy way — but genuinely does the things you don't want to do yourself, and helps you do the things you actually care about, better.
The idea was simple: an AI personal assistant you could chat with and just... tell it what to do. Plan a trip. Navigate a busy week full of meetings and deadlines. Flag important emails, draft responses, schedule follow-ups. Anything a real personal assistant would handle.
I was on board in a flash. The third person in a tiny team with two incredibly talented founders. The second developer. A huge vision. And we were sprinting.
Then came the idea that changed everything — what if you could just call Asmi? Not type. Not tap. Just pick up your phone, blurt out whatever's on your mind, and watch it happen?
That's when things got exciting. Reminder calls through the day. Back-and-forth brainstorming on complicated tasks. A live conversation that actually moves the needle.
And then — what if Asmi could call someone else? Book that appointment you've been putting off. Make the call you've been avoiding. Even order tonight's pizza.
A little serendipitous now that I think about it, that all of this started with a phone call from a friend for me.
5,000+ real-world tasks later, we're live on Product Hunt today. A tiny but hyper-focused team, building something we genuinely believe can change how people spend their time.
We'd love to hear what you think — give it a shot and let us know. 👇
Replies
What I like most about this story is that it starts with a real behavior, not a technology.
Most AI products begin with "look what the model can do."
This starts with a much simpler question: what do people already do when they're overwhelmed? They call someone.
Voice feels like a natural interface for personal assistance because the moment you're busy, stressed, driving, walking, or multitasking, typing becomes friction.
The interesting challenge isn't whether AI can complete tasks anymore. It's whether people can build enough trust to delegate increasingly important tasks to it.
What has surprised users the most the ability to talk naturally with Asmi, or the fact that it can actually take action on their behalf?
Asmi AI
@ievgen_chugunov You've hit the nail on the head! There is an invisible barrier to engaging with a complicated problem over chat. Each message warrants a certain level of thought and deliberation. Each back and forth requires some level of planning.
For some reason, that barrier melts away when you're on the phone. The usual prerequisite to collect your thoughts doesn't really exist in this medium. No more hitting the backspace to rephrase. Just say what's on your mind. Correct yourself if you have to. Listen to the response. Build on the conversation. It feels a lot more organic and natural just to talk.
As for what seems to surprise users the most: From what we've seen, it's both. But the former (i.e. ability to talk to Asmi directly) hits them the hardest. People don't expect to feel comfortable talking to an AI on call. The nervousness to actually get on the phone disappears. It really feels like someone is actually listening to you, and is there to help.
And wrapping up the call and seeing the magic of handling their tasks after is just an added bonus.
Did you try it yet?
@sibi_asmi Hi. In my own builds, I’ve seen that moment when people stop thinking “AI tool” and start thinking “assistant I can just call.” That’s when adoption accelerates.
Do you see the bigger growth lever in voice comfort (getting people to talk naturally) or in task execution (showing it can actually handle the messy real‑world calls)?
Asmi AI
@ievgen_chugunov Great question! This is very much a matter of acquisition vs. retention. When people first try Asmi out, they're exploring and testing the waters. The first conversation with Asmi is the gateway into actually using and getting familiar with the product. Sure, they often come knowing we can make external calls but the first wow moment is usually the voice comfort.
But once the novelty wears off, the task execution is where they stick. The latter is definitely where the real growth happens, and what differentiates Asmi from any other voice agent. And we're constantly improving the experience to make every step of the process more streamlined.