An Interview with HORISEN’s Chief Product Officer Stefan Wüthrich
Artificial intelligence is no longer just a buzzword – it is becoming a core driver of how the companies build, deliver, and evolve – and the telecom industry is no exception.
As one of the few truly modular messaging platform providers in the telecom space, HORISEN is is doubling down on AI as both an enabler of internal efficiency and product innovation.
From campaign optimization to security automation, the company is taking a deliberate, pragmatic approach to becoming a fully AI-driven messaging technology provider. To explore what this transformation really looks like in practice, we spoke with Stefan Wüthrich, Chief Product Officer at HORISEN, about how the company is bringing its AI vision to life.
1. There is a lot of talk about being ‘AI-driven’ – but what does that actually mean for companies today? And how is HORISEN putting that idea into practice?
Stefan: In my opinion, being AI-driven means two things: first, using AI internally to boost productivity – helping teams work faster, research more efficiently, and streamline operations. And second, it is about embedding AI where it truly adds value to our products, enhancing usability and improving the overall user experience.
At HORISEN, this dual approach is in full swing: AI is used internally across departments – from marketing to software development – and integrated into products like Business Messenger and features like Finance Manager to offer AI-powered functionality tailored to real messaging needs.
2. As CPO, what’s the core mission behind HORISEN’s AI strategy? Is it about automation, personalization, efficiency – or something else?
Stefan: Efficiency and smart automation are definitely our priorities. But we are careful not to add AI just for the sake of trendiness. We integrate AI exactly where it brings real value. Examples include message improvement features in Business Messenger’s campaign composer, AI-assisted chatflows, and future plans for routing optimizations and spam detection. HORISEN’s AI strategy is grounded in pragmatism – AI where it matters.
3. How is AI innovation impacting HORISEN’s product roadmap and our customers’ daily experience?
Stefan: AI is helping HORISEN accelerate time to market. Our teams use it for tasks like requirement writing and product research, while I also apply it to think through UI logic and interface behavior – helping streamline idea development and decision-making. All this saves time, reduces manual effort, and makes the development process more efficient. Personally, AI helps me avoid repetitive tasks, allowing more room to focus on strategic thinking and product refinement. For customers, this means faster delivery of innovative features that are deeply relevant to their daily messaging needs.
4. What are some practical ways HORISEN integrates AI into its messaging platform today?
Stefan: HORISEN integrates AI into its messaging ecosystem in meaningful, user-centric ways. On the operational side, HORISEN’s Finance Manager benefits from AI-powered OCR, which automates invoice data extraction to enhance billing accuracy and reduce manual workload. Another standout feature is the AI Message Composer within Business Messenger, which allows users to write, improve, or translate their message content directly within the campaign workflow – making content creation faster and more intuitive.
The platform also offers robust LLM integration, fully compatible with providers like OpenAI, enabling customers to build intelligent bots for use cases such as customer support or sales conversations.
Additionally, through the Conversation API, users have access to system prompt customization and tool integration capabilities, providing the flexibility to create context-aware, AI-driven chat experiences tailored to specific business needs.
5. How does AI help HORISEN detect and prevent spam, fraud, or unauthorized traffic?
Stefan: AI’s role in detecting and preventing spam, fraud, or unauthorized traffic at HORISEN is currently under active development. Rather than following industry hype, HORISEN takes a realistic and transparent approach to implementation. While some competitors loosely apply the AI label to traditional rule-based systems, HORISEN ensures that the term is only used when true machine learning or intelligent algorithms are involved. Current efforts are focused on developing AI-driven features for campaign detection and spam recognition, with the goal of enhancing security and traffic integrity across the platform.
6. Can you share an example of how HORISEN customers use AI to improve campaign effectiveness or message delivery?
Stefan: AI-assisted message composition already plays a major role. For instance, users can generate channel-appropriate message variants – long-form for WhatsApp, short for SMS – or auto-translate campaigns for multilingual reach.
Looking ahead, we are planning to enhance these capabilities further with AI-driven features that support dynamic content tailoring and delivery optimization based on campaign goals.
7. With so many channels how does AI help unify or coordinate customer journeys across them?
Stefan: HORISEN already enables full omnichannel orchestration across channels like SMS, WhatsApp, RCS, Telegram, Viber and more – allowing businesses to manage and automate customer communication from a single platform. What AI brings into this ecosystem is the potential to further optimize content for each channel, ensuring the right tone, format, and length are applied automatically. For instance, users can generate a shortened SMS fallback version from a longer WhatsApp message, tailored to character limits and delivery context.
As AI capabilities evolve, HORISEN is exploring how to further personalize cross-channel journeys and automate delivery strategies based on messaging objectives and audience preferences. The long-term vision is for AI to dynamically tailor full messaging journeys across individual channels and orchestrate cross-platform strategies with minimal manual intervention.
8. Where do you see the biggest opportunity for AI in messaging that the industry has not fully tapped yet?
Stefan: Regarding key untapped areas, there are several high-impact opportunities that are still largely underexplored. These include smarter recognition of spam patterns and campaign behavior, as well as predictive routing – where AI could help determine the most efficient delivery paths in real time.
On the operational side, AI has strong potential in automating reporting processes and enabling financial forecasting based on usage trends. Another promising area lies in the development of natural language-powered dashboards and filters, which would allow users to interact with complex data sets more intuitively. In addition, AI could bring major improvements to back-office functions such as automating price list imports or detecting early signs of credit issues. With deep industry knowledge and access to extensive data, HORISEN is in a strong position to train and implement these intelligent systems effectively.
9. As AI becomes more integrated into messaging platforms, how is HORISEN approaching ethical and responsible use – especially around privacy, transparency, and user trust?
Stefan: At HORISEN, security and data protection are non-negotiable – and the use of AI is no exception. AI adoption across the company is governed by strict internal policies and ethical standards. We train all our teams on AI ethics, privacy, and security – from administration and marketing to software development, security, and customer support. Internally, we enforce clear usage policies and collaborate only with GDPR-compliant and certified providers.
HORISEN’s dedicated security teams continuously monitor and align with evolving regulatory frameworks, including NIS2, DORA, and the upcoming EU AI Act. Importantly, customer data is never used to train AI models, and all sensitive information is handled in accordance with clearly defined, strict privacy policies.
10. What advice would you give to other messaging or CPaaS providers trying to integrate AI effectively?
Stefan: Don’t miss the train – but also don’t chase buzzwords. AI needs to solve real problems. Not everything that sounds like AI actually is. In other words: be strategic, be truthful, and make sure your AI serves your users – not your press releases.
Conclusion:
HORISEN’s approach to AI is both ambitious and grounded – blending cutting-edge integrations with a strong commitment to usefulness, responsibility, and customer value. From enabling smarter campaign creation to automating back-office workflows, HORISEN is well-positioned to lead the messaging technology space with the power of AI.
