ChannelVision Sept-Oct 2017

EMERGENT of Watson. Founder Even Leonard explained that it uses a natural lan- guage processor so that customers can simply ask questions of it with- out worrying about keywords. And, it learns from each interaction, gradu- ally getting smarter and amassing expertise the more it’s used. Actionable Science meanwhile has created AI-powered bots to act as operational helpers for me- dium- and large-sized businesses. They can take sales calls, help with servicing and the IT help desk and other functions. These too are built to have natural language conversa- tions and “learn” as they go along. The company is in the process of ramping a channel presence. Then there’s Avaya, which re- cently announced that it will be working with Sundown AI to deliver an AI experience in contact centers, through the prediction of customer preferences and resolutions to prob- lems that are typically handled by live agents. In addition, Sundown’s technology, named Chloe, will pro- vide automation and analysis of customer interactions via Avaya’s Oceana platform by delivering self- service and agent-based customer care in real time. Sundown AI uses machine learning to create a semantic graph of a company’s interaction with customers via chat, email or calls. When support requests are re- ceived, Chloe uses natural learning processes to parse and understand the customer’s request. Once in- tent is identified, Chloe uses graph algorithms to identify the right an- swer for the question. As she en- counters a case with new informa- tion, Chloe uses machine learning to learn and evolve. “Chloe has deep technological innovation at her core and works with organizations to solve real business problems,” said Fabio Cardenas, president of Sundown AI. “With that aim, Chloe’s Snap-in with Avaya’s Platform will allow uni- fied communications to become a bit smarter.” Sundown AI also has joined the Cisco Solution Partner Program, which will give VARs access to AI-powered tools to “bring together people, pro- cesses, data and things to enhance the relevancy of network connections,” the company said. The IoT Connection The burgeoning internet of things (IoT) market may be the place where AI will be most felt, overall—opening plenty of doors for channel partners. “We’re at a crossroads in the internet of everything when choos- ing to add artificial intelligence as a layer to make systems smarter will become a huge differentiator,” said Cardenas. “The organizations that embrace AI will see boosts in Ways in Which Their Organization is Developing Artificial Intelligence Capabilities According to Senior Financial Executives Worldwide, Jan 2016 % of respondents IP Traffic by A Source: Cisco Source: Deloitte ana Source: Euromoney Institutional Investor Thought Leadership To what degree has the SD-WAN deployment impacted your investment in the following? Source: VoiceLabs The Voice-First Stack 35% 14% 52% INCREASE DECREASE NO IMPACT Technology Pri Internal research and development Working with advisors/consultants Participation in innovation hubs and incubators Partnering with startups Partnership with universities or research institutes Outsourced research and development to technology firms Joint venturing/mergers and acquisition Crowdsourcing Other We are not developing 42% 29% 18% 18% 17% 15% 11% 4% 4% 32% Enable applications to thrive and be financially sutainable Showcase the device’s intelligence and teach the consumer what is possible with voice-first Software that interprets speech, connects to the cloud to process it, and responds intell gently Device like th Amaz n Echo and Google Home that the consumer interacts with directly Routers 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 200 Exabytes per Month 2016 Averag Wireless 2.7X Which of the foll organization to Channel Vision | September - October, 2017 12