SAN FRANCISCO—After six weeks of research and an exhaustive phonetic review, an artificial intelligence company unveiled a product name Wednesday without typing it into a browser, where it had belonged to a carpet-cleaning business since 2004.

"We tested vowel warmth, cross-cultural resonance, and how it sounds when whispered by a trusted assistant," said lead linguist Helen Ostrowski. "It sounds excellent. Especially over the carpet-cleaning hold music."

The name passed nine committee meetings. A suggestion to check whether it was taken was moved to a parking lot, which staff clarified was a section of the whiteboard, not a place where useful things happen.

The discovery was made by an intern searching for the launch livestream. She instead booked a complimentary stain assessment.

According to company records, the naming process cost $380,000. The carpet cleaner offered to sell the domain for $12,000, a price executives called unreasonable before approving a $45,000 consultant to negotiate it.

The consultant recommended a discovery phase.

Ostrowski said the company would retain the name because it communicated clarity, intelligence, and trust. Search results currently communicated upholstery, emergency water extraction, and a seasonal coupon.

The carpet cleaner reported a sharp increase in calls asking whether it could replace human workers. Owner Dennis Krall said no, but that it could get most of the coffee out.

The intern has been asked to join the company's due-diligence team. Her first assignment is a six-week presentation explaining how she found the website.