Logical, an artificial intelligence (AI) startup founded by two Sri Lankan engineers, is working on a different vision for AI - one in which software can understand what a user is doing and offer useful help before being asked.

For most people around the world, using AI still means using well-known tools such as ChatGPT, a chat interface where users can ask questions and receive AI-powered answers. Built as an AI assistant for modern knowledge workers, the cutting-edge product by Logical is being built around a different idea. Instead of requiring users to always ask questions and provide the right context manually, Logical is designed as an ambient AI assistant that lives on the user’s computer. It can automatically understand the user’s work context across different applications such as email, chats and meetings, building a broader understanding of the user’s work as a whole. This allows Logical to proactively help the user by surfacing relevant suggestions, such as upcoming deadlines, overlooked tasks, new ideas and opportunities to work more efficiently. Users can still ask questions as they would with a traditional chatbot, but because Logical already understands much of the surrounding context, they need to explain less before receiving useful assistance.

Logical can also help users take action across the applications they already use, reducing the need to manually move information from one tool to another. Its capabilities include assisting with emails and documents and summarising virtual meetings.

Logical co-founders Sam Karu and Anushka Idamekorala grew up in Kandy before eventually establishing their company in Silicon Valley, one of the world’s leading centres for technology and innovation. The two founders first met at the age of six at Dharmaraja College, Kandy and later studied engineering at the University of Peradeniya and the University of Moratuwa, respectively.

Logical was accepted into Y Combinator, one of Silicon Valley’s most prominent startup accelerators, and has raised more than LKR 150 million in initial funding. The company is believed to be the first startup with an entirely Sri Lankan founding team to be accepted into Y Combinator, and is now building its product for a global market.

According to Logical Co-Founder and CEO Sam Karu, the thinking behind the product is rooted in the idea that the current AI experience is limited. "Typically, people interact with AI through a chat interface, where they pose a question and receive a response," Mr. Karu explained. "We envision the next generation of AI to be more intuitive, capable of understanding the user's objectives, identifying opportunities to assist, and providing help at the opportune moment without necessitating explicit instructions."

Logical Co-Founder and CTO Anushka Idamekorala added, “The challenge is not simply making AI capable of answering more questions. It is giving AI enough understanding of a person’s work to know what is relevant, when help would actually be useful, and what action it can take. We believe that shift from reactive AI to proactive AI will be an important part of how people work with computers in the future.”

The founders believe that as AI evolves, it will increasingly move beyond tools that simply respond to questions. Instead, they expect AI assistants to understand context, recognise what needs attention and help people make progress with less friction.