VOIP technology has become one of the most vital elements for those who work from home. This technology plays a significant role in remotely carrying out work, but if it used appropriately, it can be a huge boost up for efficiency. This article link talks about some ways in which VOIP helps in streamlining efficiency and how your team members can make the most of this technology. Read more at: https://www.business2community.com/workplace-culture/7-ways-voip-streamlines-remote-team-efficiency-02416776

Each one of us have experienced Artificial Intelligence (AI) in our daily lives- from customized Netflix recommendations to personalized Spotify playlists to voice assistants like Alexa – all of these show how integral AI-enabled systems have become a part of our lives.

On the business front, most organizations are heavily investing in AI/ML capabilities. Whether it is automation of critical business processes, building an omni-channel supply chain or empowering customer-facing teams with chatbots, AI based systems significantly reduce manual work and costs for businesses leading to higher profitability.

However, Machine-learning systems are only as good as the data the are trained upon. Many AI experts believe that AI should be trained not only on simple worst-case scenarios but also on historical events like the Great Depression of 1930s, the 2007-08 financial crisis and the current COVID-19 pandemic.

Today, as humans rely on AI, they cannot leave AI to function by itself without human oversight because machines do not possess a moral or social compass. AI is as good as the data it is trained upon, which, may reflect the bias and though process of its creators.

Read more at: https://www.lionbridge.com/blog/3-reasons-why-ai-needs-humans/

No more will you hear about Chatbots being the next big thing. They’re already here and here to stay! Top domains where Chatbots are proving beneficial are:

1.      Ecommerce and Online Marketing: Messenger Chatbots have higher open rates and click through rates than Email, as a result of which many online marketers have begun using Chatbots as a way of getting website visitors’ information. Redirecting the customer to the correct sales channel, content gamification and relationship marketing are additional benefits it brings to this domain.

2.      Customer Service: The best use of technology right now is in automating the easy questions that get asked over and over again with a live agent takeover whenever the bot cannot answer a question. When the bot is stumped, it automatically sends the questions to a live agent, listens to the answer and then learn how to answer such questions in future.

3.      Travel, Tourism and Hospitality: Bots in this space are being successful on a number of critical fronts- they increase revenue, increase customer satisfaction, increase engagement and brand loyalty and lower costs via automation.

4.      Banking, Financial Services and Fintech: First and foremost, bots can help warn you about issues and dangers with your bank account. Bots can give you suggestions on what to do with your money- it can give you a cost breakdown of where you are spending or how can you move money around in order to save more money. Banks are also using chatbots internally to help automate tasks.

5.      HR and Recruiting: Chatbots can engage applicants and pre-screen them and make sure they’re qualified by asking a few questions. They also help in easing the process of on boarding new employees.

What other uses could be coming next? Read more at:

Internet of Things is described as a digitally connected universe of everyday devices which are embedded with internet connectivity, sensors and other hardware which allow communication through web. From health tracking Fitbits to Smart blackboards, IoT has made everything around us smart. On a smaller scale, it would be switching on a TV using your phone and on a larger scale planning smart cities with sensors all over.

Why is IoT so important?

The sensors installed are capable of sending information and/or receiving information and acting upon it. These are beneficial as they help improve and innovate lives of customers, businesses and society at large. Businesses have invested extensively in R&D to innovate and develop out-of-the -box products.

Read more at:  https://www.zdnet.com/article/what-is-the-internet-of-things-everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-iot-right-now/

Nowadays, managed service provider or MSP is becoming important as several organizations outsource IT processes. It is a good sign, but you need to have a MSP contract and must know what kind of information to be included. This article tells us about six things that you need to include in an MSP contract. Read more at: 

https://it.toolbox.com/articles/6-things-to-include-in-your-managed-service-providers-contract

Marketers are discovering different ways to utilize location marketing but, the most prevalent is mobile geolocation marketing. According to a report, it is found that almost 9 in 10 marketers found location-based advertising and marketing resulted in higher sales, further supported by growth in their customer base and higher customer engagement. This article explores different types of mobile location-based marketing. Read more at: 

https://www.business2community.com/marketing/location-based-marketing-on-the-rise-02242118

It is a fact that Internet of Things or IoT is becoming predominant in business as you can gather data to analyse at real time. But, if it is not used diligently, it will be a cost and not an asset to the company.  Traditional business intelligence shows only IoT data from the past but with predictive analysis tells what to do with that data now. This article tells us some common useful applications of predictive analytics on streaming IoT data. Read more at:

https://it.toolbox.com/articles/4-useful-applications-of-predictive-analytics-on-streaming-iot-data

It is a fact that ERP or resource planning platform can manage the key business activities like production and supply chain operations. But, nowadays, this ERP system when integrated with machine learning technology, also plays a vital role in keeping your customers happy. And this ERP system can have greater control over the products they eventually receive, thus cutting down on errors. Read more at:  

https://it.toolbox.com/article/how-erp-can-help-boost-your-customers-satisfaction

Mental health crisis is a matter of huge concern in recent times where one-fourth of the adult population is estimated to be affected by mental disorders. Depression alone affects roughly 300 million people around the globe, as stated by World Health Organization. Artificial Intelligence (AI) offers multiple opportunities to people suffering from mental disorders. Computational Psychiatry and specialized chatbots for counselling and therapeutic services are the two emerging fields where AI is expected to yield the biggest benefit. Computational Psychiatry combines multiple levels and types of computation with multiple types of data to improve understanding, diagnostics, prediction and treatment of mental disorders. Besides, AI can help researches discover physical symptoms of mental illness and track within the body the effectiveness of various interventions. Moreover chatbots provide immediate counselling services to the patients at a cost which is lower than seeing a psychiatrist or psychologist. This has expanded the coverage to a broader circle of people who require treatment. Thus the development of AI for mental health promises better access and better care at a cost that won’t break the bank. Read more at: https://datafloq.com/read/artificial-intelligence-for-mental-health/6558

Machine learning is progressively transforming the way we work, live and interact. It is effectively applied in almost all sectors with beauty industry being no exception. Machine learning can help the beauty industry in several ways. It is expected that computer vision would help recognize facial features, analyze the data obtained and come up with a prediction or conclusion about the appearance. At present, data scientists are working on AI systems that have the ability to understand human face. If it works out, we no longer require to physically test out new looks and products. Data analysis will lead to better cosmetics. Leveraging data means better, long-lasting formulas. Nowadays, startups and industry leaders are offering machine-based advice on finding one’s personal style. For instance, Sephora and Mira uses worldwide tests and computer vision helping customers choose the perfect combination of foundation, complexion, etc. Some businesses like Olay have developed applications to determine skin needs of customers and come up with personalized products. Thus Artificial Intelligence with its machine learning and computer vision can go a long way in ensuring customer satisfaction. Read more at: https://medium.com/sciforce/machine-learning-changing-the-beauty-industry-ab3a2fa0aaf

Big Data, if utilized properly, is believed to become the historic driver of progress. It plays an important role in the fields of public security, healthcare, poverty, to name a few. Video surveillance and facial recognition using big data is far more effective than reviewing the footages manually, which can be erroneous. It also helps in avoiding cybersecurity threats. Predictive models using big data can predict for future attacks even before their occurrence. With the application of big data in healthcare sector, there has been a shift from treating illnesses to proactively maintaining our health and taking certain measure for preventive care. It plays an immense role in the education sector as well. By understanding the needs of each district, it gives schools the opportunity to build innovative educational techniques. Big data solves urban transportation problem by enabling government agencies develop alternate routes to ease traffic. It helps in alleviating the dangers of food scarcity. It is time to embrace big data as it opens up opportunities to encourage economic prosperity. Read more at: https://datafloq.com/read/5-applications-big-data-in-government/65

Merging entertainment with data is a well-known concept. The marketers and content-creators have always focused on strategies that will resonate with the audiences and keep them engaged. Over the past few years, there has been an evolution of AI in the marketing strategies of content creators, brands, networks, etc. AI uses the deep learning algorithms that can digest, asses and contextualize unstructured data quickly to derive actionable insights. AI can analyze millions of pieces of content at a time, with the help of deep learning which is undoubtedly beneficial for the content creators and marketers. Deep learning helps in predicting whether a campaign will be successful even before it starts. Thus marketers are increasingly turning to deep learning algorithms to make better sense of the contents. Read more at: https://www.thedrum.com/industryinsights/2019/04/03/the-evolution-ai-entertainment-marketing

Cyber criminals, also known as hackers, use computer systems to access business and personal information for malicious purposes. There is no doubt that criminals are the most creative people in the world and the development of Artificial Intelligence has only made them stronger. Since the tutorials and tools for its development is widely available in the public domain, AIs use for attacking purpose is hugely unrestrained. Machine learning poisoning is one of the ways for criminals to circumvent the effectiveness of AI. Today we live in a world of chatbots. Most people do not realize how much personal information AI-driven bots may know about them, which makes them easy prey for experienced cybercriminals. Moreover criminals could harness machine learning technology to sift through huge quantities of stolen records of individuals to create more targeted phishing emails. However the biggest fear remains in the fact that the fully unstoppable AI creature will seize the world one day. Thus AI security abuse must be prevented and humans being much better than machines must understand its cause and effect. Read more at: https://resources.infosecinstitute.com/criminals-can-exploit-ai/#gref

Predictive Analytics make predictions about the future events based on current data. These days retailers use it to determine the future needs of the customers. The biggest challenge faced by retailers today is customer retention. Predictive Analytics is bringing about a huge change in the retail experience altogether. Eminent retailers like Amazon is using predictive analytics to make customer recommendations based on purchasing history. Furthermore, development in Artificial Intelligence and machine learning is boosting its use. These developments in turn are helping the retailers gain a competitive edge. However tech giants like Google, Microsoft tend to keep the cutting-edge innovations for them. The new and innovative predictive analytics must level the playing field for small medium industries. Read more at: https://channels.theinnovationenterprise.com/articles/retail-reaping-rewards-predictive-analysis

Since the emergence of Green Revolution in the 1960s, Indian policies have focused on ensuring national food security. However the small and the marginal farmers suffered a lot as the Green Revolution policies failed to increase their income. This has resulted in an increase in farm indebtedness and distress leading to farmer suicides all over the country. Over the last few decades Indian agriculture has seen massive technological developments and opportunities. The recent policies focus on increasing farmer incomes through digital innovations to give the farmers greater access to technology, risk management, finance and markets. Digital innovations enable the farmers to have credits at lesser risk and cost. Digital extension services provide real-time advice to farmers .Among the innumerable obstacles faced by Indian farmers, some include distance from the market, dependence on moneylenders for access to capital, huge cost of transportation, etc. Digital solutions are seen as a way to overcome these obstacles by providing farmers transparency and unmediated market access. Thus digital innovations are greatly helpful in improving farmers’ livelihoods and Indian Agriculture as a whole by making it more market-oriented. Read more at: https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/opinion/the-digital-route-to-transforming-farm-sector/article26006290.ece

Machine learning applies artificial intelligence to automatically learn and improve from experience without being explicitly programmed. Machine learning applications are generally applied to those areas which involve processing lots of a data; a field where humans aren’t well-equipped. Machine learning applies discovered insights in ways that can optimize the customer experience. Chatbots provide effective solutions by stimulating an interaction with a customer service representative or resolving simple inquiries. Machine learning helps chatbots learn when to give specific responses, from where to gather necessary information and most importantly when they should hand off a conversation to a human agent. Virtual assistants, with the help of machine learning focus on specific areas where they can provide assistance to the customers. In order to continually optimize, customer service needs measurable analytics. Machine learning can help add a predictive element to support analytics. Thus machine learning helps in delivering better customer experiences. Read more at: https://www.business2community.com/brandviews/zendesk/how-is-machine-learning-being-used-in-customer-service-02215814

Google’s internet bot detector has evolved over the years from Captcha to reCaptcha to reCaptcha V3. Now, no more boxes need to be checked, nor is identifying objects or alphabets required. Studying the way an individual navigates through a website, conclusions can be drawn on it being a bot or not. This improvement however comes in at the cost of the user’s privacy. According to a researcher, Google uses cookies to identify whether a user is a bot or not; the same cookies which enable us to open new tabs and open accounts without the need of logging in everytime. Another researcher however states that a browser connected with a Google account is more secure than the one which isn’t. Hence, although security is gained, more of the user’s data is also going into the hands of Google. Read more at: https://www.fastcompany.com/90369697/googles-new-recaptcha-has-a-dark-side