Acti Launches Agentic Keyboard to Bring AI Actions to Your Smartphone

The era of constant app-switching is coming to an end as AI moves from isolated chatbots directly into the interface you use most. Singapore-based startup Acti has launched an agentic keyboard for iOS and Android, designed to turn text into actionable intent.

Moving Beyond Text Prediction to Agentic Action

Traditional smart keyboards focus on predictive text and autocorrect, but Acti is reimagining the keyboard as a command center. Instead of forcing users to jump between a messaging app and a separate AI chatbot to find information, Acti integrates intelligence directly into the typing experience.

Whether it is dropping a local restaurant recommendation into a chat or instantly pulling live stock prices when a ticker is mentioned, the keyboard acts as a seamless "context layer." By sitting across multiple applications—including email, social media, and messaging—Acti allows the AI to understand user intent without the friction of app fragmentation.

Powered by Gemini and Custom "Skills"

Under the hood, Acti leverages Google’s Gemini models, selected for their high-speed performance, multilingual capabilities, and cost-efficiency. The core differentiator of the platform is a feature called "Skills." These function as programmable, multi-step shortcuts triggered by a single key.

Users can create these Skills using plain language—no coding required. For example:

  • The "T" Skill: Long-press to instantly translate a message into another language.
  • The "C" Skill: Automatically fire off a meeting link.
  • The Skills Marketplace: Users can build and share complex workflows, such as fetching real-time World Cup data or Polymarket links, creating a community-driven ecosystem of utility.

Privacy-First Architecture and Scalable Leadership

A significant hurdle for agentic AI is data privacy. To address this, Acti utilizes a "local-first" model. This ensures that personal context and private messages remain on the user's device by default, with external processing only occurring when a user explicitly invokes a specific feature.

The startup is led by a heavy-hitting technical team with a track record of massive scale. Founder and CEO Young Wang previously grew Baidu’s Facemoji Keyboard to over 300 million daily active users. He is joined by CTO Mike Sun, the technical lead behind Baidu’s Yike Album, and CSO Junbo Yang, formerly of HashKey Capital.

With $5.3 million in seed funding led by BITKRAFT Ventures, Acti is positioned to transform the keyboard from a simple input tool into a foundational surface for the AI agent era.

Key Takeaways

  • Seamless Integration: Acti eliminates app-switching by embedding AI agents directly into the mobile keyboard, allowing for real-time actions like sharing live data or translations.
  • No-Code Automation: Through "Skills," users can program complex, multi-step tasks using natural language, which can then be shared via a public marketplace.
  • Privacy-Centric Design: The platform employs a local-first approach to ensure user context stays on the device unless external processing is specifically requested.