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Internet Technology and It’s Crazy Capabilities

I attended a presentation on technology and consumer trends. Here’s a little of what I came back with.

Ever log onto the Interwebs to browse your favorite sites and an advertisement pops up? Of course you have. Did you think it was coincidence that the ad was promoting something you had searched before? Well, it wasn’t. In fact that advertisement was specifically for you. I know you’re thinking to yourself. How is that even possible?! I knew the government was hiding aliens! No, not really, well maybe, who can really be sure. What I can tell you; is that aliens didn’t generate that advertisement; it was delivered to your screen by something called AI (Augmented Intelligence).

Augmented Intelligence is a technology that analyzes 2.5 Exabytes per day. What’s an Exabyte? I know, I had to look it up too, but to save you time I’ll share. An Exabyte is one quintillion bytes, or one billion gigabytes. Gigabytes are one billion bytes, so it’s a billion times a billion times 2.5…A LOT of data. We all contribute data. The sites you visit, your on-line purchases and searches, all your Favorites, Likes, Pins, Shares, Clicks, Check-ins, and Downloads are all being collected and analyzed to build a digital profile of you.

Kinda creepy right? Mmm, maybe. But if you really think about it, it does make our lives a little easier. With so many options out there, AI helps you declutter, so decisions are easier to make. What did they used to say about Netflix? “You spend more time looking for a movie than you do watching it.” Well, AI provides recommendations using analysis based upon your previously viewed shows, so you can make a selection in less time than it takes to pop your popcorn.

Companies also use AI to bring consumers a personalized on-the-line shopping experience. Instead of a customer browsing their site for hours, the site automatically displays items that were pinned in the customers Pinterest account along with complementary items and accessories to go with it. It’s like the customer actually got off the couch and walked into a boutique with an expert assistant there to help.

Some companies use AI to execute better customer service with real time messaging channels. Chat messaging has become the preferred method of communication vs. 1 on 1 phone calls. We’ve all sat on hold forever waiting for a customer service rep, then you finally get one who tells you “sorry I’m going to have to transfer you, please hold”. That’s a thing of the past; chat saves customers time and frustration. Chat bots are immediately available and help expedite messenger interactions. By answering a couple simple questions a chat bot can answer your question or properly route you to the appropriate customer service representative.

AI is also bringing voice assistants to the market. While voice assistants are still very much a novelty they are expected to triple this year alone. That’s the reason all the big dogs are jumping in the voice assistant pool. Amazon, Google, Apple, Microsoft and Samsung have all developed their own versions. The convenience of real time access, zero clicks, no popups and elimination of countless key strokes for account login upon account login, has increased interest. Alexa pay my bills; OK you have my attention too.

Thanks to both of you for reading.

Why do I work at AWG? “Having grown up locally, my second job as a teenager was actually at Price Chopper on 78th and State Ave., also throughout the years I have known many family and friends that have worked, or are still employed with AWG. Given all my exposure to AWG I have seen a stable, growing, company that cares about it’s employees. The qualities which I hold highest from an employer.” -Bryan