Cambridge, MA – MIT EmTechAI: Waseem AlShikh, CTO and co-founder of Writer, took the EmTech AI 2025 stage to share the remarkable story behind one of enterprise AI’s fastest-growing platforms. Writer’s journey began with a simple but powerful idea: AI should be practical, efficient, and tailored to the specific needs of each business. Founded in 2020, Writer has since become a leader in generative AI, serving clients like Accenture, Intuit, L’Oréal, Uber, and Vanguard.
Why Customization Matters
AlShikh’s philosophy is clear: AI isn’t one-size-fits-all. Enterprises need solutions that reflect their unique workflows, data, and brand voice. Writer’s Palmyra family of large language models (LLMs) is designed for this exact purpose-delivering state-of-the-art results while being highly customizable and efficient. Unlike the industry trend of building ever-larger models with massive hardware investments, Writer focuses on smaller, smarter models that can be fine-tuned for each client’s needs, often outperforming much larger competitors.
The Secret Sauce: Practical Innovation
Writer’s success is rooted in a relentless focus on real-world impact. AlShikh and his team have built a full-stack platform that lets enterprises deploy secure, reliable generative AI applications and agents at scale. Their tools automate everything from generating product descriptions for L’Oréal to handling thousands of customer queries for Uber and Lennar, slashing costs and boosting productivity for over 300 companies.
A key part of Writer’s approach is its commitment to transparency and collaboration. Clients aren’t left in the dark; they’re given detailed insights into how models are trained, what data is used, and how the AI can be adapted over time. This openness helps enterprises in highly regulated industries like finance and healthcare trust and adopt AI safely and effectively.
Self-Evolving, Self-Organizing AI
Looking to the future, AlShikh envisions AI systems that can self-organize, self-assemble, and reason independently-what he calls “self-evolving” AI. Writer is already building models that learn from their own mistakes, reducing the need for constant human oversight and making AI agents that are as adaptable as the best employees. This vision isn’t just about automation; it’s about creating AI that can truly partner with people, handling complex tasks and freeing up human talent for higher-value work.
A New Era for Enterprise AI
Writer’s rise shows that you don’t need a cast of thousands or a supercomputer farm to make a big impact in AI. Focused innovation, customer-centric design, and a willingness to challenge industry norms have propelled the company to a $1.9 billion valuation and a client list that reads like a who’s who of global business.
As AlShikh puts it, the goal is simple: “People don’t need to do the work themselves; they just need to create AI that does it for them.” In a world where every business wants a competitive edge, tailor-made AI is quickly becoming the secret weapon.
Key Takeaways for Enterprises
- Custom AI delivers more value than generic, one-size-fits-all models.
- Efficiency and transparency are as important as raw power.
- The future is self-evolving AI: systems that learn, adapt, and reason with minimal human input.
- Writer’s approach is changing how enterprises automate, innovate, and compete in the AI era.
For more information, please visit the following:
Website: https://www.josephraczynski.com/
Blog: https://JTConsultingMedia.com/
Podcast: https://techsnippetstoday.buzzsprout.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joerazz/
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