Zoho unveils Zia LLM and AI agents to democratize enterprise AI
Zoho launches its Zia LLM, 40 pre-built AI agents, and a no-code agent builder as part of its strategy to offer cost-effective, privacy-focused AI solutions for businesses.
Zoho has launched its own large language model, Zia LLM, alongside 40 pre-built Zia Agents, a no-code agent builder (Zia Agent Studio), and a model context protocol (MCP) server. This move aims to democratize AI for enterprises of all sizes by offering cost-effective, privacy-focused solutions.
Key Announcements:
- Zia LLM: A family of three models (1.3B, 2.6B, and 7B parameters) trained entirely in India using Nvidia's platform. It supports structured data extraction, summarization, RAG, and code generation.
- AI Agents: Pre-built agents for roles like sales, customer support, and account management, with plans to expand.
- Zia Agent Studio: A prompt-based, low-code tool for building custom AI agents.
- MCP Server: Connects Zoho's AI actions with third-party agents.
Why Zoho Built Its Own LLM:
- Control and Privacy: Zoho prioritizes data privacy, ensuring customer data stays on its servers.
- Cost Efficiency: By developing its own models, Zoho avoids passing cloud provider costs to customers.
- Optimization: The company leverages its visibility into API usage to tailor models for specific workflows.
AI Agent Ecosystem:
Zoho's 40 pre-built agents include:
- Ask Zia: A conversational assistant for data teams and business users.
- Customer Service Agent: Integrated with Zoho Desk to handle customer queries.
- Deal Analyzer: Provides sales insights.
- Revenue Growth Specialist: Identifies upsell opportunities.
Future Roadmap:
- Scale Zia LLM parameters through 2025.
- Expand speech-to-text language support.
- Introduce a reasoning language model (RLM).
- Add Agent2Agent (A2A) protocol support.
Analyst Perspective:
"Zoho’s focus on privacy and cost-effectiveness with in-house LLMs is the right strategy," said Constellation Research analyst Holger Mueller. However, the company must prove it can keep pace with the LLM competition.
Pricing and Availability:
- Zia LLM: Free initially, with potential pricing for intensive tasks later.
- General Availability: Zia LLM by end of 2025; agents and tools rolling out in phases.
For more details, check out these related articles:
- Zoho CEO Sridhar Vembu steps back, becomes Chief Scientist
- Zoho focuses LLM efforts on Nvidia architecture
- Zoho Analytics revamp aims to connect BI, data scientists, business users
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About the Author
Alex Thompson
AI Technology Editor
Senior technology editor specializing in AI and machine learning content creation for 8 years. Former technical editor at AI Magazine, now provides technical documentation and content strategy services for multiple AI companies. Excels at transforming complex AI technical concepts into accessible content.