“Hi, are you available for a wedding on October 28th? What is your fee? Do you play jazz? Wait, I need to check with my fiancé…” If you have ever managed bookings for artists or events, you know this nightmare: conversations that drag on for days, repetitive questions, and details lost between messages. The result? Opportunities slipping away due to delays. Ex Machina puts an end to this circus with an AI chatbot—but this isn’t your typical virtual assistant that provides unreliable, “hallucinated” answers.
From Manual Chaos to Seamless Efficiency
Before this project, every booking request on Stagend.com followed the same frustrating script: endless exchanges to define the repertoire, the need to coordinate third parties, and logistical or pricing details negotiated message by message. This process could stretch for days or even weeks, forcing artists to waste hours answering the same questions over and over. This entirely manual workflow created a significant workload for everyone involved—organizers, artists, and Stagend operators—leading to a high risk of errors and an extreme slowness that cost people opportunities.
The Solution: An AI That Doesn’t Just Answer, It Orchestrates
The chatbot built by Ex Machina flips the script: the AI serves the process; it doesn’t just try to answer at any cost.
The system works like this: when a question arrives (“Is the artist available on October 28th?”), the AI doesn’t simply “think” of an answer. Instead, it selects one of the specific tools integrated into the workflow. It can query the artist’s public info, their calendar, setlists from previous gigs, and much more. Most importantly, its primary task is to recognize user intent.
- For general info: If the chatbot finds the data, the response is immediate and fact-based.
- For critical actions: If the user wants to close a contract, modify an offer, or change agreed-upon details, the chatbot interacts with Stagend’s internal ticketing system. This ensures the artist or an operator handles the request with the correct priority (human-in-the-loop).
Technology Built for Reliability
The project is powered by Langchain4j integrated into Spring Boot. Choosing a Java-native ecosystem guarantees stability and security: no internal data or sensitive information is ever exposed to the LLM (Large Language Model). The unified strategy includes:
- Rigid system prompts to enforce deterministic behavior.
- Access control systems to prevent unauthorized data exposure.
- A mandatory tool-first policy and conversational history analysis to maintain context.
The Ex Machina Philosophy in Action
This project perfectly embodies Ex Machina’s approach to technology: it’s not about replacing humans, but about freeing them from repetitive tasks so they can focus on real value. An artificial intelligence that knows when to step aside isn’t less intelligent—it’s more useful.
In a world where AI is often seen as a threat or incomprehensible magic, building systems that work with people instead of instead of people makes all the difference. Automated artist booking is just the beginning. Wherever there is a repetitive process draining precious time, there is room for automation that is secure, reliable, and—above all—deeply human.
