How to Reach 900 Million Users

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One of the most important aspects of creating a successful Virtual Assistant is making sure it is readily available for end users. Its evident that people are embracing Artificial Intelligence in their everyday lives, and companies are investing into it at an exponential rate. Last year alone, $8.5 billion was spent on enhance AI, four times the amount spent in 2010 (economist.com). With the demand for AI continuing to grow, and the technology only becoming more advanced, it is important to strategically place Virtual Assistant to reach the most number of users. 

Before, company websites and mobile devices were the primary way to access a Virtual Assistant. Now, with these large companies adopting A.I. practices and the user base they have, Virtual Assistants can be accessed through a wide array of platforms, reaching a broader range of users, and ultimately, potential customers. 

For example, the latest Facebook Messenger announcement, allowing end users to interact with Artificial Intelligence (they refer to it as chatbots). Using API connectors, Virtual Assistants can plug into Facebook's Messenger Platform, connecting to their audience of over 900 million users world wide.

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It doesn't just apply to Facebook's platform though.There are so many platforms like Facebook's M that Virtual Assistants can integrate with such as: Siri, Cortana, Google Now, Amazon Echo's Alexa, Cisco's Spark, Microsoft Skype and more. By moving beyond the web and mobile, companies are able to reach a greater amount of people that already exist on these platforms.  
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Google's Top Projects That Are Bound to Change the Way We Live

Do you ever think that Google is trying to dominate the World? Lately, they have been getting their feet wet in many different projects. Here is a video talking about the top 5 futuristic Google projects that might improve your life. 

Video Source: cnet.com

1. Google Fiber- speeding up your home internet
2. Project Ara Modular Phone- being able to completely customize the features on your smartphone. 
3. Project Tango- Phone will be able to map out the area around you in 3D. This means that Google Map will finally be complete with 'inside building' information and always be a step ahead in the navigation market.  
4. Project Loons- Getting high speed internet to remote locations, such as the Himalayas. 
5. Self-Driving Car- This has been a long-term project that has been making its way to the streets recently. With these self-driving cars, Google will have better 3D road data and be able to reduce road congestion. 

Google has also been looking into Artificial Intelligence(A.I.) research. With their acquisition of DeepMinds and launching a Quantum A.I. Lab hosted by NASA's Ames Research Center, it seems like Google has some big plans for the future that will include advanced A.I. (Google Buys Artificial Intelligence Company DeepMind).

Their Virtual Assistant, Google Now, is seeing improvements as well. Recently, Google announced the release of Google Now Launcher, a cleaner, simpler, more customizable way to organize your home screen. "On an Android phone, the launcher is basically the maître d': it's the bit of software that welcomes you onto the phone, is in charge of the home screen, and does the behind-the-scenes launching of any apps. It's in charge of the layout of arguably the most important and frequently seen bits of the operating system, and as such is quite important." (Google Now Launcher Explained: What You Need to Know)

What do you think about leaders (such as Google and Facebook) investing in Artificial Intelligence? Do you see a future where Artificial Intelligence is all around you? 

ON ANOTHER NOTE...

Be sure to tune into the Peggy Smedley Show next Tuesday (August 12th, 2014) to hear our CEO, Diego Ventura, talk about his thoughts on the market.  

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Throwback Thursday: The Evolution of Movie Robots and Artificial Intelligence

Trivia Question: Does anyone remember the first movie a robot appeared in?

...Give up?

The first robot debuted on the big screen in the 1919 film, ‘The Master Mystery’, except they weren't called robots yet; they were called automatons. For today’s audience, robots are a common thing to see in movies and they have only gotten more technologically advanced…and bigger! Check out this Yahoo! Movies video that takes you through a short tour of the evolution of movie robots.

As you can see, robots, and the brains behind the robots, Artificial Intelligence (A.I.), have continued to evolve throughout time. The beginning years of A.I., the technology did not have the diagnostic, conversational ability. Before, humans would interact with A.I. but it could only pick out keywords. In essence, there was no logic behind it. For example, if you asked an A.I., “I need directions to the grocery store from noHold”, it would pick out the key words (directions, grocery store, noHold), but it wouldn't be able to decipher the connecting words. The A.I. might interpret your request incorrectly and give you directions to noHold from the grocery store instead.

Now, A.I. is more advanced, and does not only use logic to process information, but also customizes responses. 

One way to provide custom responses (that is gaining popularity in the market) is using predictive technology. Taking the example from above about directions, if you ask a Virtual Agent where the nearest movie theater is, and it can respond with the solution AND give you options of nearby restaurants or the latest reviews on a current movie as well. Predictive interactions make it easier for users to get relevant information, without having to ask.

Location-based awareness is also a trending technology for new devices. Using GPS tracking to pinpoint your location, a Virtual Agent can use that information to provide users with location-specific content.

By combining logic, predictive interactions, and location-based awareness, Artificial Intelligence has evolved to become more user-friendly and personalized.

Do you remember your earliest interaction with a robot or Artificial Intelligence (AI)? How has the experience evolved over time? In your opinion, what will AI be capable of 5 years from now? 

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Google, Microsoft, Facebook, and More are Validating the Artificial Intelligence Market

Here is a short clip from "What's the Big Deal?" talking about Google's plan to move toward Artificial Intelligence (A.I.). Google is not the only one interested in A.I., though. Big name companies including IBM, Apple, Microsoft, Nuance, and Facebook are also making an investment into A.I. business units. With this sudden spike of interest in A.I., the future is looking bright for intelligent super computers! 

What do you think about these major companies investing in A.I.? 

Throwback Thursday: Human-Like Artificial Intelligence

Happy Throwback Thursday!

In 2001, the movie A.I. Artificial Intelligence opened in theaters. It’s a movie exploring the concept of artificial intelligence with the ability to think and feel emotions. Since 2001, it seems like A.I. has become more of a norm than it was before.  Last week noHold shared the movie “Her” starring Joaquin Phoenix and Scarlett Johansson (the voice of the AI). I recently had the time (and free movie passes) to go enjoy it for myself. When you get past the initial amazement of a human falling in love with his Operating System, you begin to see that the movie challenges you to think outside the box and wonder “what if.” It also opens your eyes to how much of today’s world is already emotionally connected to technology.

These movies may seem fictional and completely out of the norm, but if you look at how much technology has advanced in such a short amount of time, it doesn't seem as far-fetched as we think. For example, Siri is one of the most popular functions of an iPhone, not only for the convenience, but for entertainment as well. I know people who talk to Siri when they are bored just to see what she says. In fact, one of our Virtual Agents was actually proposed to! Developers are beginning to see that consumers want to converse with Artificial Intelligence that has some sort of personality.

Leading analyst firms are already predicting the growth and success of smart machines. Soon, everyone will be engaging with smart technologies on a daily basis. The concept of emotions and smart machines is in its very early stages. One example is Intel’s demonstration of the Edison Chip at CES 2014. They showed an example of how the Edison chip can be used as a helping hand to parents, being able to check your child’s vitals or turning on the bottle warmer when it hears the baby cry. This device analyzes the situation and responds accordingly with somewhat of a mothers nurturing sense.

Seems like the next step is for A.I. is to mimic or get closer to human emotion…what do you think? Should Virtual Assistants have the capability to detect and respond with emotion? Some already do, but to what extent? 

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