Tag: Artificial Intelligence (AI)

It is almost impossible to keep up with the pace and direction in which business and technology are moving today. Artificial intelligence, automation, blockchain, big data, Internet of Things, the fourth industrial revolution. Who actually knows what any of these concepts mean for their business, much less how to integrate them?

“The world would be a better place if men thought like women.” This is the conclusion of John Gerzema and Michael D’Antonio, the authors of The Athena Doctrine, published in the aftermath of the 2008 global financial meltdown – the direct result of testosterone on steroids!

From digital transformation through to the arrival of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), decision-makers are changing their views on how technology can benefit the organisation. But while much attention is placed on things like data analysis, the cloud, and automation, cyber security has fallen by the wayside.

The local contact centre industry is thriving and has seen substantial growth over the last four years, as South Africa became an enticing destination for offshore business. Concurrently, telcos across the world are seeking to improve their customer experience and reduce operating costs, largely due to disruptive business models, ever-increasing competition and the rising digital wave.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is one of the key pillars of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, which is transforming and digitizing everything from backend customer service centres to procurement and supply chain management. In fact, AI capabilities are increasingly being embedded throughout organisational structures, opening up a new digital frontier that most companies, both large and small, are still grappling with on a day-to-day basis.

Finally, an opportunity to examine the substantive choices made in the application of AI solutions, within the same industry, reflecting the cultures and norms of two different countries.

Read our exclusive cover story titled AI 20/20 | A VISION FOR YOUR EXTERNAL ENGAGEMENT? by Karthik Venkataraman, Head of Artificial Intelligence and Intelligent Automation, Accenture Technology in Africa, as well a host of other topical management articles written by professionals, consultants and academics in the August/September 2019 edition of BusinessBrief.

AI is incompatible with policies for labour growth and forespell the introduction of the basic income grant. Consultants across the globe continue to debate the opportunities, limitations and merits of implementing Artificially Intelligent (AI) solutions. They engage, argue and agree to disagree on the inevitable effect which AI will have on the labour market and the number of people employed in Decent Work.

The Contact Centre Management Group (CCMG), the only professional body for contact centres in South Africa, will be hosting its 9thannual conference and expo on October 31 and November 01 this year at the Gallagher Convention Centre in Johannesburg.

Victor Muguto | Long-term Insurance Leader | PwC Africa | mail me | Technology, cyber and change management risks have been pinpointed as the three...