Totem Learning Launches Sona AI to Help Individuals Master Difficult Conversations with Confidence

Totem Learning has launched Sona AI, an AI-powered tool designed to sharpen communication skills in safe and nuanced simulations.

/EIN News/ -- Warwick, United Kingdom, May 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Built at the intersection of psychology, learning science, and game design, Totem Learning’s mission is to harness entertainment to refine human skills at scale. Recently, the company took this commitment to the next level by launching Sona AI, a tech-powered, emotion-centered tool providing personalized insights and realistic interaction simulations. From challenging customers to handling objections to life-altering performance reviews, Totem’s newest solution is all about sharpening confidence, clarity, and capability with every conversation.

This award-winning creative powerhouse recognizes that some interactions change everything. By fusing cutting-edge technology with the power of behavioral science, Sona AI delivers a smarter, more effective way to build real-world communication skills. Through realistic conversations, it prepares employees for high-pressure scenarios, empowering them to get it right when it matters most.

Unlike popular kinds of AI, Sona AI doesn’t generate ideas or act as a personal agent; instead, it assesses skills and performance by making practice feel real. With Totem’s solution, workplaces gain access to contextualized AI-driven avatars. Their own customized personas that embody businesses’ core values and personalities. By creating risk-free environments for safe practice, Sona AI doesn’t leave positive outcomes to chance.

Sona AI

These intelligent avatars are focused on emotional and contextually relevant interactions, with minimal animation letting words take center stage. Every interaction is followed up by Sona AI’s insights, which summarize how users handled a conversation against the guidelines. It’s worth noting that learners have no pre-selected options or scripts. It’s all about organic conversations that mirror real-life altercations. Lastly, to better prepare for the next interaction, the tool provides actionable takeaways that refine employees’ approach.

Since its launch, Totem has collaborated with firms across various industries and of all sizes, designing AI-powered avatars tailored to their unique needs. Co-designing begins with a prompting process, during which clients fill out a questionnaire, which is later analyzed by a prompting engine. Alternatively, companies that want their persona to look like a specific person can use a photograph, which is later animated.

When a general vision is formed, Totem works closely with customers to refine their Sona AI avatars, whether by adjusting their tone of voice or dressing them in signature brand colors. Before launching the persona, it is thoroughly tested by a team with vast expertise in behavioral science, gaming, and education to ensure it meets expectations and works seamlessly. Sona AI is accessible through a subscription model, which goes beyond the avatar creation. When working with Totem, clients gain long-term support from a trusted digital learning partner who truly wants them to succeed.

The development of Sona AI couldn’t have happened without funding from two major innovation initiatives, Ufi VocTech Trust and the Innovate UK Coventry and Warwickshire Launchpad initiative. Building upon an already transformative foundation, Totem will enhance it with an authoring tool. Planned to launch in late 2025, this feature is designed to put control over the creation process in the hands of businesses. By allowing them to set objectives and preferences on their own, it will eradicate the common cookie-cutter approach on a global scale.

Sona AI - Desktop

"Sona AI is a fantastic example of the innovation and creativity thriving in Coventry and Warwickshire’s digital sector," says Stacy O'Connor, Digital Creative Industry & Inward Investment Specialist at Invest in Warwickshire. Jane Holmes, Associate Director of Grants at Ufi VocTech Trust, adds, "Sona AI is a brilliant example of how innovative learning tools can make essential skills more accessible, more human, and more impactful."

Designed for outcomes, not mere engagement, Sona AI addresses the needs of leaders and employees globally, empowering them with confidence, clarity, and capability. Ultimately, Sona AI doesn’t choose between the hard or the easy way. It chooses the smarter way.

Media Contact

Name: Helen Routledge

Email: helen@totemlearning.com