It’s now called “The cognitive world”

My thoughts on IBM’s World of Watson conference and where IBM sees cognitive going.

IBM has a very clear vision of what cognitive means to them. IBM calls it “a cognitive world for enterprises”. While Facebook and Google are creating Artificial Intelligence solutions focused towards consumers, IBM wants to help businesses achieve cognitive intelligence over its data, human resources, apps etc. And IBM does not want any of the data unlike Facebook and Google who keeps your data, leverages that data for a number of reasons, customer insight, targetted advertising, machine learning etc.

Ginni in her Keynote said “In the next five years, every important business decision, will be made with the assistance of IBM Watson”. She talked about the transition from Artificial Intelligence to Augmented Intelligence. “Our goal is for man and machine to exist together. This is all about extending your expertise. A teacher. A doctor. A lawyer. It doesn’t matter what you do. We will extend it”. It is a bold promise and can IBM achieve that?

Although AI and cognitive has been around for years, it is getting the much-needed attention now thanks to Google, Microsoft, Facebook and Amazon. It also means, they are all competing for market space. While the core Watson technology isn’t trained using customers’ proprietary data, it has received large chunks of information in various industries, from health care to weather to financial services. That data is being used to train the technology in specific domains to make watson expert in that domain.

With focus on enterprises and knowledge of domain data, IBM is well positioned to lead the enterprises into this cognitive world.

Mallesh Murugesan

CEO & Founder, chirrp.ai

Playing the long game? Get a chatbot. NOW.

In the world we live in today, everything from recruitment of new employees to diagnosing diseases, is being handled by a Chatbot. No denying bots are definitely having a moment. It’s more than just a “15 minutes of fame” that we’re dealing with here. Moments like this in history can make or break businesses.

For example, look at the history of live chat. A decade ago it was the new way to communicate with consumers. Brands that figured it out saw higher conversions and customer satisfaction scores. Today almost every single online business offers live chat. While this form of digital engagement is expected to reach $819 million market share by 2020, we’ve moved into the next iteration. Adaptability is key to success and gives businesses the competitive advantage. Let’s take a look at the current consumer landscape and their needs.

Consumer needs are evolving

According to Pew Research, millennials have surpassed the Baby Boomers as the largest American generation. They are entering the workforce, and they have dollars to spend. Their expectation is that everything is available 24/7. How does an enterprise scale and meet that standard?

One of the best ways is an effective and efficient Chatbot strategy. The evidence of this approach is clear. In fact, brands that offer consumers solely a digital experience saw a 19% increase in customer satisfaction, as outlined in this report by McKinsey. It comes as no surprise when the majority of consumers entering the marketplace are the millennials. The world they live in is digital and instantaneous.

Brands can’t afford to wait around for consumers to engage with them. The technology that is offered by companies like chirrp.ai, allows brands to be proactive and enables new partnerships between people and computers.

It’s time for brands to engage

CEO of chirrp.ai Mallesh Murugesan explains: “Chatbots should be used not just for customer service, but to provide offers and valuable insights.” Bots through machine learning can go into a predictive state. When in this state, the chirrp bot can reach out and warn consumers if an account doesn’t have enough funds to pay their mortgage. It can also recommend ways to invest funds based on behavior or market trends.

What’s interesting about what Murugesan said is when a brand implements AI they don’t always make a quick buck. That’s not the point. Engagement opportunities like this provide a lot of value to the consumer, which in turn builds trust. Trust is one of the key differentiating factors a millennial will take into consideration when deciding whether they do business with your brand or not.

However, its not just millennials craving this type feature. NGDATA is an organization that helps data-rich brands drive connected experiences. They conducted a survey highlighting consumers’ needs from their banks. Key findings were personalized service and being treated like an individual. Bots and AI can do this at scale, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Leaders in the industry are already taking note.

For example, initial buzz suggested that predictive tasks will be a part of what Bank of America plans to do with Erica, their bot. CNBC quoted Michelle Moore, Bank of America’s head of digital banking. She said, “Erica might send someone a predictive text: “Michelle, I found a great opportunity for you to reduce your debt and save you $300.” Back 11 years ago Rabobank ‘Yvette’gave people advice on saving money and also showed a summary of their last bank transactions.

Improve experience while saving money

Murugesan also gives a sample scenario of consumers traveling outside the country. Financial institutions can choose how to engage in these situations. Bank A chooses to provide traditional customer service, and Bank B has upped their game. They use AI based chatbot engagement solutions.

Bank A requires the consumer to call, go through the traditional IVR system, talk to a rep, and get the answers to questions. Bank B allows the consumer to message in questions and answers them instantaneously.

In addition, Bank B provides relevant notifications before and during travel. Then engages with them at the right moment, e.g, notifying consumers as soon as they land with a message: “Your card is safe with us. Feel free to use it.” Thereby improving the consumer experience, creating sales avenues, and building brand loyalty.

The intelligence driving these types of interactions and sales at scale is possible only with a Chatbot and visually explained in the above Value Map created by chirrp.ai.

The results are clear; Chatbots work, and consumers want them. It’s an easy to integrate solution, and every brand should work it into their digital engagement strategy today. Be innovative, increase customer satisfaction, play the long game. Get a Chatbot.

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By M. Dorsett

 

Event: October 18th – Industry Experts Discuss the Future of AI at MIT Enterprise Forum of South Florida

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Learn about how Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning will shape the future.  MIT’s Enterprise Forum is hosting a discussion with the industry’s leading experts, including chirrp’s very own co-founder, Mallesh Murugesan. The panel includes experts in academia, law, R&D, and commercial sectors and promises to be enlightening!

Date: October 18th
Time: 6:00-9:00pm
Locale: CIC Miami, 1951 NW 7th Ave, Miami, FL 33136

More info about the event:

After billions of dollars and decades of research, we are entering a new era of robotics and conscious artificial intelligence. A.I. is poised to transform our society as did the internet years ago. We are already using A.I. when we use speech recognition software, Google Translate, and many other apps and services. Nearly all of the largest software and social media companies are working towards integrating some form of A.I. into their product and service, including Facebook, Twitter, and Microsoft. Today, we have Robotic helpers, driverless cars, problem solving A.Is, and we’re just getting started. Machine Intelligence has the potential to usher in a new age of technology like we’ve never seen before that will have a tremendous impact on job markets, the economy, and our every day lives.

In this discussion we’ll look at the technological changes that are sweeping through our world and the future effects that A.I can have on our economy and our personal lives. The good and also the dangers of A.I. that we’ll need to face. Join us for a deep learning discussion and ask yourself: Are you ready for this new era of machine intelligence?

Register for tickets here. Enter MyGuestAI5 to get $5 off. Student discounts available as well.

Event: Are Robots the Bankers of the Future?

Join Miami’s leading experts in a discussion on robotics and the future of financial automation. Chirrp co-founder, Mallesh Murugesan will present, alongside speakers from Lenddo Americas and Scotiabank Enterprise-Digital Banking on October 5th at 10:25am. The discussion will examine how artificial intelligence has advanced the capabilities of chatbots across industries, including the potential for AI to change how financial institutions engage with customers.

The panel is part of the two-day Fintech Americas 2017 annual conference. The conference takes place October 5th-6th at the Conrad Hilton Miami. Other sessions include topics such as regulation in the digital era; banking and blockchain; fintech and bank collaboration, to name a few. Registration is still open!