Microsoft considers acquiring Siri creator Nuance for $16 billion

Microsoft is considering acquiring Siri creator Nuance for $16 billion in a deal that’s expected to be announced imminently.

Silicon Valley darling Nuance is one of the world’s most recognisable AI companies for the creation of Siri, the voice assistant that would later go on to become Apple’s first-party solution.

Nuance now focuses its efforts predominantly on enterprise communications, particularly in the healthcare space which has seen increased interest amid...

12 April 2021 | Applications

Opinion: Adjusting and transforming with AI technologies

When it comes to adopting the latest technologies and enhancing service delivery effectiveness, contact centres have been silently leading the way for years. Few other parts of the business have had to adapt so quickly to the demands of today’s connected consumers, first transitioning from voice to omnichannel and then to becoming engagement hubs supporting a growing number of proactive channels of customer interaction.

For some time now, the sector has also been at the...

7 April 2021 | Adoption

Google’s AI reservation service Duplex is now available in 49 states

Google has expanded its controversial AI reservation service Duplex to 49 states across the US.

Duplex will have to comply with privacy regulations which vary between states and – when it expands further outside the US – their national laws too.

Google says the rollout delay in the US was due to awaiting changes in legislation or the need to add features on a per-state basis. Some states, for example, require a call-back number.

The reservation service...

1 April 2021 | Bots

Opinion: How AI can protect users in the online world

With more than 74 percent of Gen Z spending their free time online - averaging around 10 hours per day - it's safe to say their online and offline worlds are becoming entwined. With increased social media usage now the norm and all of us living our lives online a little bit more, we must look for ways to mitigate risks, protect our safety and filter out communications that are causing concern. Step forward, Artificial Intelligence (AI) - advanced machine learning technology that plays an...

30 March 2021 | Social Media

Fujitsu develops AI to detect product abnormalities during manufacturing

Fujitsu has developed an AI which can highlight abnormalities in the appearance of products to help detect issues earlier.

Catching problems during production enables intervention before materials are wasted—incurring direct and environmental costs. It also saves on the reputational damage and costs associated with returns/recalls after a defective product is shipped to customers.

The solution uses an AI model trained on images of products with abnormalities. These...

29 March 2021 | Manufacturing

TUC: Employment law gaps will lead to staff ‘hired and fired by algorithm’

Legal experts and the Trades Union Congress (TUC) have warned that gaps in employment law will lead to staff “hired and fired by algorithm”.

A report, commissioned by the TUC and carried out by leading employment rights lawyers Robin Allen QC and Dee Masters from the AI Law Consultancy, claims there are “huge gaps” in British law.

“The TUC is right to call for urgent legislative changes to ensure that workers and companies can both enjoy the benefits of AI,”...

25 March 2021 | Adoption

Affectiva receives six new patents for using AI to analyse vehicle occupants

Human perception AI pioneer Affectiva has been granted six patents for detecting the awareness and emotions of vehicle occupants.

Affectiva Automotive AI combines deep learning with computer vision – using in-vehicle cameras – to analyse the states of the driver and other vehicle occupants in a cabin in real-time.

Dr Rana el Kaliouby, Co-Founder and CEO of Affectiva, said:

“Over the last decade, Affectiva has continuously pursued new patents as we have...

23 March 2021 | Connected Cars

Opinion: Best practices for building an AI serving engine

One of the most critical steps in any operational machine learning (ML) pipeline is artificial intelligence (AI) serving, a task usually performed by an AI serving engine.

AI serving engines evaluate and interpret data in the knowledgebase, handle model deployment, and monitor performance. They represent a whole new world in which applications will be able to leverage AI technologies to improve operational efficiencies and solve significant business problems.

Best...

18 March 2021 | Machine Learning

Research finds 1.4 million UK jobs could be automated this year

According to a Faethm AI forecast, over 1.4 million jobs in the UK could be replaced by automation this year alone.

Faethm’s mission is to prepare the world “for the future of work” by using an AI engine – trained on billions of workforce data points – to predict what jobs need reskilling versus upskilling.

James McLeod, VP of the EMEA region at Faethm, said

“Employers and employees alike need to change their perspective. The future of work is...

15 March 2021 | Adoption

Q&A: Netra.ai uses Intel technologies to identify diabetic retinopathy

Netra.ai, a solution developed by Leben Care and the Sankara Eye Foundation, is using Intel technologies to identify diabetic retinopathy in minutes.

India has one of the largest diabetic populations in the world with around 65 million people suffering from the disease. Eye damage caused by diabetes, known as diabetic retinopathy (DR), is estimated will affect around one-third of sufferers.

Dr. Kaushik Murali, President Medical Administration, Quality & Education at...

11 March 2021 | Healthcare