The war against clunky AI prompts just got a new weapon. Hero, a productivity startup founded by former Meta engineers, launched an invite-only SDK today that autocompletes AI prompts based on context - promising to slash the endless back-and-forth that plagues current chatbot interactions. The move comes as companies scramble to make AI interfaces more intuitive, with Adobe recently rolling out similar structured prompting features.
Hero is betting that the future of AI interaction isn't about better models - it's about better prompts. The productivity startup, founded by former Meta AR engineers Brad Kowalk and Seung W. Lee, just unveiled an autocomplete SDK that fills in AI prompts as users type, potentially ending the frustrating cycle of prompt refinement that's become the bane of AI adoption.
The technology works like predictive text on steroids. Type "Book a flight" and Hero's SDK starts populating fields like destination, departure date, airline preference, and return timing. Users can stop at any point and fire off the query, or let the system build out a comprehensive prompt automatically.
"With AI autocomplete, we pull forward all the inputs needed to complete an action, finishing it 10 times faster as there are fewer back-and-forths involved," Kowalk told TechCrunch. "This unlocks a whole new set of use cases ranging from travel to commerce, and ads to customer support."
The timing couldn't be better. As AI chatbots proliferate across every app and service, users are hitting a wall with prompt engineering. Companies are hiring dedicated prompt engineers, while consumer apps pile on suggestion buttons and pre-written examples to guide users. Adobe recently tackled this with its Firefly soundtrack generator, breaking prompts into structured sections for mood, style, and purpose.
Hero's approach goes deeper, using what the company calls "a series of models" to predict the next logical parameter in any given context. For image generation, that might mean suggesting object, style, location, landscape, and camera angle based on an initial seed phrase. For customer service, it could populate common complaint categories and resolution paths.
The inspiration came from an unexpected place - augmented reality. Both founders worked on AR features at Meta, where screen real estate constraints forced them to rethink interface design. "On AR glasses, there are constraints on screen size, so the interface for prompts needs to be simple - like adding parameters to a query," Kowalk explained.
That experience proved prescient as AI interfaces face similar constraints - not physical, but cognitive. Users don't want to become prompt engineers just to book dinner reservations or generate marketing copy.
The business implications are significant. Hero claims companies can cut server costs by reducing the message volume needed to complete tasks. At enterprise scale, where AI API calls add up quickly, that efficiency gain translates directly to bottom-line impact.
Forerunner Ventures led Hero's latest $3 million funding round, bringing the startup's total raised to $7 million since launching in 2024 with a seed round covered by TechCrunch. The fresh capital will fund SDK development and partnerships as Hero prepares for broader market rollout.
The company's own productivity app serves as both testing ground and proof of concept. Users can already see early versions of the autocomplete technology when scheduling meetings or finding time to connect with friends. The full feature launches in their consumer app within months.
But Hero's bigger play is business-to-business. The startup is already in talks with Koah Labs, an ad tech company, to integrate branded suggestions into autocomplete flows. Imagine typing "book vacation" and seeing hotel chains or airlines surface as autocomplete options - a new frontier for contextual advertising.
Hero engineer Saharsh Vedi, who led the autocomplete development, said the technology addresses a fundamental friction point in AI adoption. "Usually you need a lot of back-and-forth with an AI app to get the results you want. With this autocomplete feature, you can get there with fewer prompts - or even just one."
The SDK's invite-only launch suggests Hero is taking a measured approach to rollout, likely working with select partners to refine the technology before broader availability. That's smart positioning in a market where prompt quality can make or break user experiences.
Hero's autocomplete SDK represents more than just a productivity tool - it's a bet on the future of human-AI interaction. As AI capabilities plateau and the focus shifts to usability, solutions that reduce friction between intent and execution will define the next wave of adoption. With Meta alumni behind it and enterprise partnerships brewing, Hero is positioning itself at the center of this transition. The real test will be whether developers embrace yet another SDK in an increasingly crowded developer tooling landscape.
