Tonby is a freelance professional consultant based in Londo, London | A student of the Open University and has been working as an expert on various projects ever since graduating from college with experience ranging from business to IT development to data analytics and digital transformation initiatives. He started his career as part of the B2B Data Analytics team managing some 3-4 million records for a global client base. He had worked also at Amazon where he was responsible for implementing strategies such as AWS Services Platform, Customer Engagement and Customer Acquisition at Amazon Web Services (AWS).
“The main reason I joined Google Cloud was to find out how easy it would be to deploy and scale cloud applications with no coding required. It was not only time saving but it eliminated my previous need for building my own apps on Linux-based systems. Since joining Google Cloud, I have seen so many more opportunities for both the tech community and SMEs to gain valuable insight into cloud solutions. I am particularly excited about taking advantage of AI technology to solve some of our biggest challenges and helping companies create great customer experiences by making their operations data visual.”
– Tonby Robbins
You can read more about Tonby Robbins at https://www.tonbyrobbins.com/
About Me:
Hi Folks — my name is Vinod Chopra and I am pursuing my Master’s Degree in Applied Science at Imperial College London. On LinkedIn, you may notice that I have published one story which talks about “Google Cloud Computing: The Roadmap to All Digital Transformation” and another one called “A New Era of Work — Transforming Jobs & Markets through Automation & Robotics”. You can check them out by following me:
Top 10 Ways Artificial Intelligence Will Shape Businesses in 2018–2019
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is no longer simply a buzzword. AI will have a profound impact on businesses in the following five years. There are real opportunities available to entrepreneurs, investors, and enterprises who can benefit from unlocking this technology. As exciting as it is to make big bets on artificial intelligence, we must also be realistic about some of its limitations. At Kano, we believe that many aspects AI will improve our lives but it will not change everything for good. That’s why we are excited about future-ready technologies like Neural Network Processors (NNP), Deep Learning Algorithms (Dial), Self-driving Cars (Autonomous Driving), Smart Cities (Smart City Networks), Internet of Things (It), and Edge Computing, among others. We think these innovations will transform how business people work. Not only do they promise to reduce costs, boost profits, speed up information exchange, and accelerate customer experiences, they’ll offer new ways of working. But there are risks as well. By embracing AI we can create more jobs in IT, become less competitive, and face new types of challenges to survive. To help us all understand the potential that AI has to shape every aspect of society, here are our top ten areas where AI could be used to achieve positive results:
1. Supply Chain Logistics & Warehousing
AI systems can support both manual and automated warehouse operations. Machine learning can provide data and insights to optimize warehouses, stock levels, and logistics networks, enabling companies to focus their investments on high value, repeatable tasks rather than complex inventory management. Companies such as Amazon, Google, Airbus, and Toyota use machine learning, cognitive computing, and automation for global supply chain optimization and performance improvement. When combined with an increasing number of applications for cloud computing, machine learning offers significant promise as part of It capabilities that can transform smart cities, smart buildings, autonomous vehicles, digital assistants, medical devices, public transportation systems, and much more. These examples show how AI-integrated solutions can allow customers to take advantage of advanced capabilities. We believe machine learning will play an even greater role in shaping the edge computing ecosystem by connecting data, compute, communication, and cloud computing.
2. Travel Management + Flight Scheduling
Global travelers will demand customized products and services. This reality requires travel planning, flight scheduling, hotel bookings, and seat reservations. While traditional airlines have been making progress toward realizing a smarter travel experience through better technology, flying hours are limited, and customers want seamless, personalized service wherever and whenever and however customers need it. However, today’s airline industry has fallen behind other industries when it comes to software. Because travel industry professionals typically develop their own internal processes to manage their company’s resources, there has been little collaboration between partners in the industry. For instance, when I flew to Germany during my trip, my ticket was delayed several times, causing unnecessary stress in an already strained environment. During this period, I had to adapt my itinerary multiple times, forcing me to take out stops of over 90 minutes by adding additional time into my day. This process slowed everything down and created chaos, which led to missed connections. My solution? A comprehensive solution that allows travelers to easily schedule and plan their flights to receive the best possible experience. Airports around the world now utilize tools built on Kano, including Lufthansa’s Jet Radar 360, which uses innovative robotics to assist passengers with luggage handling, baggage claim, taxi cabs, airport security, inflight entertainment, etc., to ensure safe takeoff and landing. Since 2015, Lufthansa Airlines has been using Kano’s platform on their network, improving passenger flow and allowing them to quickly find the right destination, whether they’re traveling solo or with friends. Other airports including Amsterdam, Dubai, Singapore, New York City, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Seoul, and Shanghai are taking active measures as well. If implemented properly, these innovations could empower pilots to safely land flights on a safer, cleaner plane, while ensuring compliance with international regulations.
3. Customer Satisfaction Monitoring & Support
Customers complain. More than 50% of businesses are dissatisfied with their current level of satisfaction (Bureau of Industry Analysis). What causes this dissatisfaction? Well, poor customer support. And there are plenty of reasons why this problem needs to be addressed. One thing that distinguishes successful companies is the ability and willingness of employees to be heard. According to McKinsey Global Institute survey, 77% of executives agree that providing a great customer experience should be one of the most important objectives at any organization. Customers may feel ignored, abandoned, or don’t know what to expect. It’s a disservice to give them anything less than quality service and information about how or when to contact you to resolve issues. Unfortunately, customers complain, they get it wrong, or worse, they go without your product/service. From having to take their orders and wait for an email full of “I am sorry…” to going online and seeing reviews, there are likely countless situations that lead to customer dissatisfaction. An automated solution like Kano’s would address this issue with a Chabot. A bot that can communicate with an individual’s natural language and provides simple instructions about how to help them resolve problems quickly and easily. Instead of waiting days and weeks to receive an answer or an explanation of what they need to do, a bot would act as a guide and help them see if something is correct so the individual doesn’t need to re-run their entire route twice, go back, and forth between two different parts of the journey again and repeat themselves.
4. Efficiency & Cost Reduction
According to Forbes and Gallup, 52% of Millennial say the biggest challenge to their job is cost reduction. That percentage rises to 64% among Gen Z workers. Kano believes this challenge can be overcome by leveraging advances in AI and Big Data technologies that reduce operational costs and increase efficiency. Some of the ways this could be achieved include:
· Automating repetitive processes such as checking out or collecting data using sensors and analyzing the data to make decisions based on previously learned patterns.
· Using predictive analytics to estimate quantities (cost, effort, time, and cost) associated with project delivery.
· Utilizing augmented reality and augmented reality apps to enhance customer interaction and experiences by placing physical items on mobile devices.
· Automating processes that require the input from a human being (such as customer calls, social media interactions, emails, voice-based searches or sales queries) and replacing their response with machine learning-based responses.
· Increasing the capacity of robots to perform simple repetitive tasks by automating mundane yet critical activities on computer systems.
· Providing flexible and affordable access to training programs and data science tutorials that drive continuous learning and improvement.
· Enabling organizations to connect all departments to bring valuable knowledge and expertise together and across silos.
· Making business models like subscription fees, rewards marketing platforms, and pay-as-you-go options accessible for everyone.
5. Cyber security
Cyber security breaches cost billions of dollars annually. Nearly half of those costs come from cyber security incidents themselves. Most hackers do not have malicious intent, instead, the result of computer vulnerabilities and technical flaws like passwords, user name errors or missing passwords, as well as a lack of proper anti-virus, firewall and antivirus software. If you’ve encountered hacking, do you remember feeling helpless and powerless? You might be thinking, “How was your life turned upside down because you saw a video of someone stealing your money? Or was your credit card stolen because you didn’t update your settings? Then there’s security. Every time you open a browser and go onto your web page, you are giving up part of your privacy and giving away your account information. Just imagine if you wanted to buy something in person or online. Where do you go from here? How far would you personally go on your path to getting what you need? Security is not simple. With the advancement of technology, cyber security can no longer be relegated just to protecting your personal bank account. Many individuals and teams recognize that we cannot rely solely on cyber security because cyber security alone does not sufficiently protect us from attacks. Therefore, there are practical steps you can take to lessen the risk, such as implementing better password practices, updating your systems regularly, installing anti-virus and antimalware scanners and running regular virus scans, among other recommended precautions. Additionally, never leave your laptop unsupervised. Unsupervised access can expose your system to a higher threat of loss, damage, or destruction, leaving you vulnerable and unable to use your computer.
6. Digital Education
In 2012, MIT Professor Fei-Fei Li published her groundbreaking study that examined the importance of education as part of building strong relationships with future employers. She says that digital education is essential for all careers. Online courses teach skills like communication, collaboration, patience, and persistence. Teacher’s help learners apply the necessary skills to succeed in this ever-changing world. Her research demonstrated that in addition to strengthening interpersonal skills, digital education can strengthen soft skills — like teamwork, critical thinking and creativity…all skills that lead to success in life. So if you or a student has made it out unscathed from cyber-attacks, you can rest easy knowing that digital education can increase not only self-confidence and self-esteem, but also their resume confidence to secure the highest paying positions.
7. Financial Advice
Financial advice is a hot topic, especially if you want to build a solid career path for yourself and your family.
