Raj Koneru is the CEO of Kore.ai.  He founded the company in 2014 to tackle the need for automated interactions in messaging. That led to conversational AI services for messaging platforms ranging from white label solutions for enterprises to integration with WhatsApp Apple Messages for Business and other platforms. The company also expanded into voice services and last fall raised $70 million in a Series C funding round.    Today, we discuss the evolution of chatbots and voice assistants, what enterprises are focused on automating now, and the role conversational AI will play in the metaverse.