TORONTO – Telecom companies are eager to leverage the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) to process big data, improve operations and increase revenue, and it isn’t as new as we think it is.
AI is already used in various ways such as automating customer service inquiries, routing customers to the proper agent and routing prospects with buying intent directly to salespeople. However, the massive growth of Internet of Things (IoT) and the exabytes of big data being produced thanks to connected everything has renewed interest in how AI can provide real value to that data.
AI has the ability to fix problems with telecom hardware (such as cell towers, power lines) before they happen, by detecting signals that usually lead to failure. There is an increasing realization that AI will also lead to various new revenue streams by giving customers the option to explore or purchase media content by spoken word rather than pressing buttons on their remote control. Shaw customers can already do this with BlueSky TV, by talking to their remote.
At the 2018 Canadian Telecom Summit a panel of digital transformation experts gathered to discuss if AI should be “feared or embraced.” Not surprisingly, the consensus was that AI will transform the telecom industry for the better, but there’s still so much work still to be done and challenges to overcome.
Panelist Brian Carpenter of Pure Storage made the point “data is the new oil and everyone wants to monetize everything” so you will see “more Facebook Mark Zuckerberg problems” in the future if we don’t take steps now to ensure data protection. It’s critical that businesses figure out now “who owns the data? And how can it properly be controlled?” added Ian Hood, chief technologist, global service providers, Red Hat.
Beyond privacy many remain concerned AI will result in job losses. Jaime Leverton, VP and GM, for Cogeco noted some protectionism can be found in traditional IT groups because they are afraid AI development in their division may lead to job losses directly related to their functions.
Assan Alzein CTO, communications sector for DXC Technology argued AI will make the workplace better for all. “Most expect AI to automate the core system and eliminate people. But it’s more realistic to think of most companies as networks of people interacting with various digital systems. Realistically, AI exposes intelligence hidden in the systems and improves the way we interact. Rather than making people obsolete, I believe that AI will make the modern workplace smarter and more meaningful.”
“You only get true business intelligence when you bring [AI] together with your core competencies.” – Shawn Mandel, Telus
However the potential is there for AI to create further disruption across the globe as it grows. Alzein noted that “Most industries have captured less than 40% of the potential value in their data.”
The panel also discussed how the scarcest resource in AI today is talent. For AI to be of real value, companies need to invest in experts who know how to apply it in order to reshape an organization for better outcomes.
Businesses make the mistake of “talking about AI too much and not about what they are trying to achieve as an organization, such as keeping costs down, or retaining their customers by using augmented intelligence,” argued Shawn Mandel, chief digital officer, Telus.
He added that businesses need to first figure out the end-to-end supply chain process before they decide to bring in AI in order use the data effectively.
“You only get true business intelligence when you bring [AI] together with your core competencies,” added Mandel.
He noted that Telus embarked on its digital transformation as an organization six years ago. Mandel said the challenge with AI remains “how do we push down those skills and capabilities to the average team member? How do we actually democratize this machine learning algorithm to the average team member inside an organization that has 50,000 people?”
He explained that AI adoption requires a cultural mindset shift in an organization and requires a strategy, governance and a willingness to partner in the “ecosystem to drive an AI acumen.”
“No one silver bullet will solve the problem. It’s important to have a series of activities working in concert with each other that allow you to make the appropriate investments, that allow you to co-ordinate across teams internally, that allow you to run experiments and trials, that allow you to create a very robust talent pipeline. Those are the types of things we are investing in now.”
Most businesses will not have the capacity to develop an AI solution all on their own and will rely on shared models that “you can grab off the shelf and businesses can customize it themselves,” said Carpenter.
Carpenter, who is from California, concluded that the future for AI development in Canada looks bright and that it could be a world leader in the market.
"I believe (Canada) needs to treat AI like you do the Winter Olympics. You have a massive amount of talent. You show up, you kick tail. And you take all the medals home."
