Alibaba Group has joined forces with the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore (NTU) to establish Alibaba’s first joint AI research institute outside China. The five-year, multi-million dollar collaboration will see 50 researchers from both organisations working together. As part of the partnership, NTU will combine its human-centred AI technology with Alibaba’s Natural Language Processing (NLP), […]
Bricks-and-mortar shopping could be about to change forever. Amazon pioneered the automated convenience store with its newly-opened Go supermarket, and now computer vision company AiFi is introducing the first scalable, checkout-free system for stores outside of Amazon’s sphere of influence. The technology has the potential to turn enormous retail spaces and small mom-and-pop operations alike […]
JD.com, one of China’s biggest eCommerce retailers, has launched an accelerator program which will focus on the development of artificial intelligence (AI) and blockchain technologies. The AI Catapult program, which begins in March, will partner with blockchain startups to build new business, and create and test real-world applications of their technologies. Members of the program […]
Microsoft and Xiaomi have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to work closely in cloud computing, AI, and hardware. It has so far been uncommon for a US company to partner with a Chinese company on artificial intelligence, but it definitely makes sense as both countries are the biggest markets for those products and services. […]
Heineken has launched the Heineken Chatbot on Facebook Messenger, which provides an engaging platform that invites consumers into the premium, innovative and exciting world of Formula 1. The Chatbot, developed by Publicis Media Content and Space66, is part of Heineken’s through-the-line Formula 1 ‘More Than A Race’ campaign, launched to open up the lifestyle of Formula […]
OCBC, a Singapore-based bank, has launched the ability for customers to do day-to-day banking tasks via the app and Apple’s Siri. According to the bank, customers with the app can now log on and command Siri to help with banking tasks by using their voice. Using the service, users can check their bank account balances, […]
Huawei, a global technology leader, has become the first mobile device manufacturer in the world to use an AI-powered smartphone to drive a car. The ‘RoadReader’ project pushes the boundaries of Huawei’s object recognition technology and puts the learning capabilities, speed and performance of its AI-powered devices to the test. Unlike other driverless cars, […]
Businesses that focus on customer experience have the capacity to significantly outpace their competitors, according to Adobe’s Digital Trends 2018 report. The report, published in association with Econsultancy, surveyed 13,000 marketing, creative and technology professionals in the US, APAC and EMEA to look at the most significant trends impacting digital strategies in the short term. […]
Twenty-five percent of customer service and support operations will integrate virtual customer assistant (VCA) or chatbot technology across engagement channels by 2020, up from less than two percent in 2017, according to Gartner, Inc. Speaking at the Gartner Customer Experience Summit in Tokyo, Gene Alvarez, managing vice president at Gartner, said more than half of […]
Sony Corporation has said that it will build an AI-based ride-hailing system in Japan in partnership with five taxi companies. The service will use artificial intelligence to manage taxi dispatches and forecast demand based on factors like weather, traffic and local events. Sony’s announcement came just before Uber chief executive officer Dara Khosrowshahi, who is currently […]
