Flashback Friday: The Artificial Intelligence Movement

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is appearing in the tech news more and more. AI is more than just a trend though; it is a growing movement being embraced by the World. Leading analyst are validating the market (BLOG LINK TO GARTNER PREDICTS) and Fortune 500 companies such as IBM with Watson, Apple with Siri, and Google with Google Now, are in agreement that AI is continuing to grow exponentially and has no plans to stop. Now, Microsoft is on board with the AI movement as well. It is rumored that the release of the Windows Phone 8.1 is going to come equipped with an AI virtual assistant (much like Siri) code-named “Cortana.” The name Cortana come from the Xbox game series Halo. Cortana is an AI hologram character used throughout the game as a co-partner to fight off the enemies. Halo fans are very excited to see one of their favorite characters’s become a Virtual Assistant (Microsoft May Breathe New Life into Halo’s Cortana AI).

Microsoft’s co-founder Paul Allen is also on board with the AI movement. He is realizing that AI is not just a childhood fantasy anymore; with today’s technology anything is possible. Allen and others are doing research on developing an AI that can understand language and use reasoning skills to interact with its surroundings (Paul Allen and the Machines: Teaching the Next Generation of Artificial Intelligence).

Due to a busy week, we decided to do Flashback Friday this week. In light of Flashback Friday I wanted to share Microsoft’s early uses of a Virtual Agent.

1    1. We all remember Clippy in the corner of the screen helping users with their PC problems.

2    2. Here is a screenshot or a press release from 2007 announcing Microsoft’s implementation of a Virtual Agent.

Gartner Predicts, "By 2016, 35% of IT Operations Organizations Will Have 75% of IT Service Desk Contacts From the Business Resolved by Virtual Assistants"

Hi all, I wanted to share with you a blog we posted for Albert written for IT professionals/CIO's, but it also gives great information for Virtual Agent enthusiasts as well. Enjoy!

     This year I have been talking a lot about the growing popularity of smart machines, the Internet of Everything (IoE), and Virtual Agents. I typically write about these topics from a customer support or customer service perspective in the PC market, though. I recently came across a document from Gartner explaining that similar trends hold true for the IT Service and Support Management (ITSSM) industry. Gartner predicts, “By 2016, 35% of IT operationsorganizations will have 75% of IT service desk contacts from the businessresolved by virtual assistants” (Predicts 2014: Automation Brings Promise to IT Operations Management, But at What Cost? December 2013). With BYOD, WYOD, bid data, and more, IT organizations are in need of extra hands to eliminate some of the work load. Using Virtual Agents to answer tier one questions open up a huge amount of time for IT professionals to focus on other important aspects of the business, all while reducing the cost within the IT department. In a population that demands technology, self-service is the norm to most people and is quickly becoming the preferred channel for support. Employees want to find the answers to their own questions fast and avoid long resolution times. Providing them with Virtual Agents, allows them the capability to help themselves.

     As I mentioned, artificial intelligence is one of the few, big disruptive technologies emerging into the tech world in 2014. More and more big name companies are recognizing its popularity and becoming more proactive in their journey towards automation and Artificial Intelligence. Just recently, IBM invested over one billion dollars into developing a new business unit for Watson (IBM’s Watson for Business: The $1 Billion Dollar Sire Slayer). The market is getting dominated by smart machines fast and experts agree that there will be a strong demand for artificial intelligence in the coming future. It is beneficial to stay ahead of the curve and be prepared for the undergoing changes. Gartner recommends, “Act now to initiate exploration, build expertise, assign resources, and launch smart machine initiatives. This area is in the early state of evolution, but holds enough promise that early adopters should benefit more over time” (IBM Bets on New Watson Unit to Ignite Smart Machine Era Growth, January 2014).

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Throwback Thursday: This Day in Technology History

Happy Throwback Thursday! I hope everyone is having a great week so far.

As I was roaming the web this week, trying to find an interesting Throwback story, I came across a website called thisdayintechhistory.com. It's a fascinating website because, for everyday of the year it shares significant moments, from years ago, that impacted the technology industry. 

The day that caught my attention and inspired me to write a blog was August 8, 1980. Almost exactly 33 years ago, the Project Chess team at IBM presented a prototype microcomputer to their corporate management , in hopes to get the green light for their project. To their surprise, the management team gave approval for this project and with the personal computer market rapidly emerging at the time, the Project Chess team was only given a year to complete this project. And that is what they did. One year and four days after pitching their prototype, IBM introduced their first personal computer, the IBM PC Model 5150. Corporate management gave such a short time frame to get this computer on the market because they did not want to fall behind. It allowed them to remain relevant in the industry and they thought once the Model 5150 was out, it would buy them some time to develop a "real" PC.

Photo Credit

Compromising quality for rapidity yielded unintended consequences that changed the computer industry for years. This computer that they developed in a year ended up being one of the top selling computers on the market and became the standard for computers to follow. Isn't it funny how what was suppose to be a strategy to buy them some time to make a quality computer, ended up putting them at the top of the market for about 20 years! Of course, this model was not the best computer and had many technical issues because of the time constraint. But in that time, everyone thought it was, even software programmers developed software that compromised the reliability and compatibility of their software. 

Throwback Thursday: IBM's Watson App: Virtual Agent in Your Pocket?

       I wanted to share some fascinating (old and new) information about IBM's Watson, the supercomputer designed to challenge all-time Jeopardy champions back in 2011. When Watson first emerged on Jeopardy, every one was going crazy that there was a machine that could beat human beings on a QUIZ show. Even though Watson was not the first artificial intelligence created, he sure opened people's eyes to the progress and the potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI). To read more about the press release, check out "Virtual Agent Technology to make Mainstream Media Debut in the Form of an IBM Supercomputer."

       I brought up the debut of Watson because he seems to be making a reappearance and is heading straight for your smartphone. The same technology that was "trained on Jeopardy, is headed for your pocket." IBM is finally releasing a product using the technology of Watson, as a customer service agent, working similarly to a virtual agent. In this version of Watson, he searches the web for solutions instead of pulling information from a knowledge platform.

      An "Ask Watson" button will appear on websites and mobile phone applications. This will enable users to ask questions and receive answers instantly with his matured intelligence. This "Ask Watson" button is also capable of using a voice recognition software, making it a more knowledgeable version of Apple's Siri. noHold thinks that this is great news for the Virtual Agent industry. What is your opinion? Is Watson going to be a competitor in the web based Virtual Agent/Virtual Assistant space or do you see Watson as a strategic partner for Virtual Agent/Virtual Assistant providers? We would love you hear your thoughts on Watson and how he might effect today's Virtual Agent industry.

   
     Cheers!



Source: Trained on Jeopardy, Watson is Headed For Your Pocket via MIT Technology Review

Throwback Thursday: Paving the Way for Siri

Happy Throwback Thursday!

     

     For this weeks Throwback Thursday, I wanted to shed a little bit of  light on the Virtual Agent industry...before there was even a name for this space! When Siri was still a far off, almost crazy idea and before IBM's Watson was able to be the winner of America's favorite QuizShow Jeopardy, Virtual Agents had already been on the market. noHold has been creating Virtual Agents since 1999 and saw a great deal of publicity in 2001 with the demand for these Artificial Intelligences only increasing. Back in 2001 as well, leading analyst firms did not know what to call such an industry. People were referring to Virtual Agents as self-service solutions, interactive knowledge platforms, service bots, etc. Whatever you wanted to call them, Virtual Agents were making their way to the spot light in the eyes of large PC manufacturers, saving them hundreds of thousands of dollars in a short period of time on customer support. Check out the article to the left which states that in 2001, a Fortune 500 company saved $290,000 in less than 4 months during a pilot program using InstantSupport powered by noHold.

     With the advancement of technology, innovators are always finding ways to create the latest trends that can do pretty much anything you would ever want. But without Virtual Agents or Artificial Intelligence paving the way, there might never have been the creation of Siri or Watson. Being able to learn from the past is a powerful ability and is where most great ideas stem from. "The past is never where you think you left it." -Katherine Anne Porter

Cheers.

Ever wonder how Virtual Assistants (think Watson, Siri, noHold) are built?

Want to know how a Virtual Agent is built? noHold is the acknowledged leader in Virtual Agent solutions with a mission to deliver real answers to real questions - real fast. Simple to use, easy to implement and as close to human as you can get, noHold turns automated customer service into customer interaction. Click the link below to find out just how we do it. 

Virtual Agent Infographic