TALK5 unveils Mina, a virtual safety assistant breaking language barriers

TALK5, Australia's first AI-powered, voice-enabled work, health, and safety software platform, has launched Mina, a new virtual safety assistant. The announcement took place at the World Congress on Safety and Health at Work running from 27-30 November in Sydney.

Research has indicated that language and literacy barriers affect a staggering 99% of employers. Founded by George Bancs, a pioneer in the construction and trade services industry, in 2021, TALK5 aims to dismantle these barriers in the work environment.

Shirley Gwynn, the former SafetyCulture executive who joined TALK5 as an advisor in November 2022 and later became CEO in May 2023, has been crucial in developing Mina.

A world-first tool, Mina utilises voice-to-text and text-to-voice functions in over 15 languages, delivering vital safety instructions in each worker's chosen language and eliminating potential misunderstandings due to language differences.

Mina, fuelled by ChatGPT4, also analyses documents and graphs submitted by organisations. By reading and understanding the complex content, Mina offers intelligent recommendations to aid in creating an effective safety induction process, assuring that all individuals understand workplace safety procedures.

CEO Gwynn states, "Our AI-powered platform aids businesses in driving genuine change and improved communication with their diverse and expanding workforce. For instance, safety induction is an essential first step in any workplace, but language obstacles can pose problems. TALK5 confronts this issue by offering a completely inclusive, AI-driven, language-sensitive training demonstration."

Founder Bancs states, "At TALK5, we assert that everyone, regardless of their proficiency in English language or literacy, has a right to safety at work. Safety can be lost in translation when team members struggle with English or have low literacy levels when comprehending such critical information."

The function of AI safety assistant, Mina, extends to helping businesses to create high-quality, worker-friendly safety, compliance, and legislative content, checks on the health and welfare of the workers, coaches workforce on crucial safety information, locates accurate information easily through voice, and assists workers in accomplishing administrative jobs.

CEO Shirley Gwynn adds, "We aim to make safety universally understandable and accessible, irrespective of language or culture. The launch of Mina is a direct outcome of absorbing customer feedback and more than six months in product development with our remarkable team."

Founder George Bancs remarks, "We are revolutionising work, health, and safety with TALK5 and I am thrilled about the launch of Mina." Bancs was inspired to create TALK5 from his own experiences running construction and trade services business where he noticed that a significant portion of their employees or contractors had difficulty understanding critical safety information.

Bancs continues, "Early feedback from the industry has been overwhelmingly positive, as the problem we're solving is universal, regardless of industry, geography, or size. We anticipate expanding our existing product features and strategic partnerships, allowing worldwide businesses to harness the benefits of our one-of-a-kind AI-powered, voice-enabled safety solutions."