AI-powered crisis response during a viral product launch

The Challenge

Bolt Labs, a Riyadh-based tech startup, launched a consumer gadget that went viral on Twitter/X -- but not for the right reasons. A design flaw was discovered by early reviewers, and within 12 hours the company was facing 12,000+ comments, many of them hostile. The 5-person comms team was overwhelmed, response times exceeded 8 hours, and misinformation was spreading faster than corrections. Traditional crisis management couldn't scale to the volume.

The Solution

NAWA was deployed in emergency crisis mode within 2 hours of the escalation. The AI was briefed with Bolt Labs' official statement, FAQ, and escalation matrix. It triaged incoming comments into categories (genuine concern, anger, misinformation, trolling, media inquiry) and responded with approved messaging. Media inquiries and VIP accounts were flagged instantly for human handling. Sentiment was tracked in real-time to inform the comms team's strategy.

The Numbers

Key Results

• 12,000+ comments triaged and responded to within 48 hours of crisis onset
• Misinformation correction rate reached 94%, preventing narrative escalation
• Sentiment shifted from 18% positive to 52% positive within 72 hours
• Zero media inquiries were missed, preventing secondary negative press cycles
• The crisis playbook created during the incident is now Bolt Labs' standard protocol