AI development and integration: from chatbot to production

Custom AI Development and Integration

Appik Studio is an AI development and integration agency based in Lausanne. We design AI chatbots, business assistants, RAG systems, automation tools and machine-learning features, then integrate them into your existing applications and workflows.

Our dual expertise — software development and AI — takes a prototype through to a feature used in production: data, evaluation, integration, security and monitoring. We integrate AI into both our mobile applications and our web applications.

AI Chatbot Development

We develop custom AI chatbots for customer service, document search and internal assistance. They can be integrated into a website, mobile application or business tool, with an interface and tone tailored to your organisation.

RAG chatbots connected to your data

A RAG chatbot first searches your documents, knowledge base or business data before answering. We design the retrieval pipeline, source citations, permissions and evaluations used to verify response quality.

Business assistants and AI agents

For more advanced workflows, we build assistants that can analyse documents, prepare a summary, populate an internal tool or trigger an action approved by a user. Access rules, confirmations and traceability are scoped from the start.

Integration and production deployment

Chatbot development does not stop at a conversation window. We handle integration with your systems, data security, guardrails, cost tracking, testing and production monitoring.

Our AI Expertise

LLMs, RAG and generative AI

We integrate language models from OpenAI, Anthropic Claude, and Google Gemini, as well as Mistral and DeepSeek, into your applications. Content generation, document analysis and custom assistants: we select the model and architecture based on the use case, data and expected privacy level.

Deep Learning and computer vision

We develop image recognition and classification solutions based on Deep Learning. Object detection, medical analysis, industrial quality control — our models are trained and optimized to run on mobile devices in real-time.

Predictive Machine Learning

Prediction algorithms, anomaly detection, recommendation systems. We turn your data into forecasts, alerts and recommendations your team can act on inside your screens and processes, through supervised and unsupervised Machine Learning.

Edge AI — On-device intelligence

We run AI models directly on the user's smartphone, without cloud connection. Benefits: data privacy, near-zero latency, offline operation. Ideal for medical, industrial, and security applications.

Technologies and Tools

Custom Data Annotation Tools

When an AI project depends on domain data that generic platforms cannot prepare efficiently, we develop custom data annotation software. We build the tool used by your experts; we do not sell manual data-labeling services.

Depending on the use case, the tool can combine data collection, image, text or audio annotation, review, validation and export. Screens, roles, quality rules and output formats are tailored to the project's protocol and machine-learning pipeline.

smartCervix — clinical data annotation for AI

For smartCervix, with EPFL's LTS5 laboratory and HUG, we developed custom software to securely collect, structure and annotate clinical data. The tool prepared data for a decision-support application that classifies areas by risk factor.

Appik Studio designs the software and annotation workflow. Annotation and domain validation remain the responsibility of the subject-matter experts.

AI Projects Delivered

Our AI experience is built on concrete collaborations with top-tier institutions:

• smartCervix (EPFL + HUG) — Custom clinical data collection and annotation tool, followed by a cervical cancer decision-support application classifying areas by risk factor.

• Pneumoscope (Onescope / HUG) — Connected stethoscope with embedded AI. Respiratory pathology analysis algorithms running directly on the smartphone via Bluetooth. Edge AI for maximum health data privacy.

• BmAI (CHUV — Neonatology) — Fighting malnutrition through artificial intelligence. Estimating children's weight and height in developing countries from a single photo, in collaboration with the CHUV Neonatology Department. AI serving humanitarian goals.

• ClearSky (EPFL) — Edge AI application for phone call analysis. Artificial intelligence executed entirely on the smartphone, with no data transmitted to the cloud.

• ApiZoom (EPFL) — Varroa parasite detection in beehives using Deep Learning. Collaboration between EPFL and Swiss company ApiZoom. Photo → analysis → instant diagnosis.

• Nifty — Predictive algorithms for the NFT market. Statistical analyses and predictions based on scientific research, anticipating crypto art trends.

Use Cases by Industry

Healthcare and medtech

Image-based diagnostic aid, clinical data analysis, patient monitoring, connected stethoscopes and devices. LPD and GDPR compliance. Read about our digital health projects on the blog.

Research and academia

Data analysis tools, collection platforms, interfaces for research models. EPFL, HEIG-VD collaborations, Innosuisse projects.

Finance and insurance

Fraud detection, risk scoring, customer service chatbots, automated analysis of contractual documents.

Commerce and retail

Recommendation systems, experience personalization, e-commerce chatbots, sentiment analysis on customer reviews.

Industry and IoT

Predictive maintenance, quality control through vision, process optimization, sensor data analysis.

Our AI Approach

1. Audit and scoping

We identify the most relevant AI use cases for your business. Not all problems need AI — we honestly advise you on the real added value.

2. Rapid prototyping

Proof of concept in 2 to 4 weeks. We validate technical feasibility and business relevance before investing in full development.

3. Development and integration

AI integration into your existing application or creation of a new AI-native application. Robust architecture, error handling, intelligent fallbacks.

4. Optimization and monitoring

Model performance tracking in production, continuous fine-tuning, API cost management, response quality monitoring.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is AI right for my project? Not always. We assess the use case and recommend the simplest solution that meets the need, with or without AI.

Will my data remain confidential? Absolutely. We can host models in Switzerland (Infomaniak), use Edge AI to run models on-device, or configure private LLM instances. Privacy is a priority, especially for health and sensitive data.

How much does AI integration cost? A basic chatbot with RAG starts from CHF 15,000. A computer vision system or custom model ranges from CHF 30,000 to CHF 80,000. Costs depend on model complexity and data volume to process.

Do you develop data annotation tools? Yes. We build custom annotation interfaces and workflows when generic tools do not fit the project's protocol, roles or security requirements. We develop the software; your experts perform and validate the domain annotation.

Do you use AI in your own development process? Yes. We use AI to augment our productivity: code generation, automated review, testing, documentation. Our experience in applied AI allows us to know exactly where AI adds value and where it doesn't.