Comments
clrmoney
12/28/2016 10:45:21 AM
User Rank Platinum
AT&T AI
They siad they are embedding the AI and machine learning acrooss the netwotk and I think that is great for AT&T in this process.
mpouraryan
12/28/2016 2:50:43 PM
User Rank Platinum
Re: AT&T AI
As we look to 2017, I view it as a natural evolution--elements of it has already been happening with Amazon & others as well. The interesting dielmma that has to be faced by the AT&T Team is how that would mitigate cord cutting--which continues to be a challenge as we look to a new year before us.
freehe
12/29/2016 9:19:10 PM
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Re: AT&T AI
@mpouraryan, good point. Thanks for sharing.
dcawrey
12/28/2016 4:35:40 PM
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Re: AT&T AI
It's great AT&T is moving forward with AI, but I still think it's pretty far away from being useful.
This reminds me of when automated voice response first appeared. That's the robot you talk to when you call customer service. At first, that technology was terrible. Only in the past few years has it really improved. Anyone else agree?
DHagar
12/28/2016 7:40:01 PM
User Rank Platinum
Re: AT&T AI
@dcawrey, yes, I fully agree. Again, like with most advancing technologies we need to better understand the use cases and how to build value.
Additionally, AI and the machine learning process is extremely expensive in building the AI for autonomous operations - so you really need good cases. I see it as highly valuable but more so behind the scenes as infrastructure, not directly usable technology to the delivery of services. So if you have autonomous information being fed to the right channels of operators and operators prepared to give answers, then you truly have smarter systems - not just replacement systems.
I am working some projects with the Watson capabilities - with IBM - and I see it as part of the future, but only when it adds value.
afwriter
12/28/2016 11:22:23 PM
User Rank Platinum
Re: AT&T AI
@dcrawrey I agree, but I would still rather talk to a real person. I also agree that we are years away from seeing any reliable form of AI.
freehe
12/29/2016 9:22:41 PM
User Rank Platinum
Re: AT&T AI
@dcawrey, I agree. I don't think it is useful and doesn't improve the user experience for consumers.
DHagar
12/28/2016 7:43:25 PM
User Rank Platinum
Re: AT&T AI
@clrmoney, I agree that AT&T is going to benefit with the addition of these applications of advanced technology. I like their architectural design with layers that are designed to serve specific purposes. Looks like a winning addition to the AT&T platform.
srufolo1
12/28/2016 2:57:35 PM
User Rank Platinum
AT&T and AI
I don't like the idea of large amounts of data being collected about subscribers to somehow improve the process. But like in the quote, it's like a chess game where you have to anticipate each move, only artificial intelligence is 5 steps ahead of us at all times. It's bad enough that we have to potentially face AI one day destroying the human race. Maybe that's the worst-case scenario.
freehe
12/29/2016 9:21:49 PM
User Rank Platinum
Re: AT&T and AI
@srufolo1, I don't like the data being collected on consumers either. I also don't like the fact that consumers are automatically opted in for companies to collect data and after six to nine months of using a product or service consumers then get notified that they can opt out. This should be an option for consumers to choose as soon as they purchase a product or service similar to the 2009 CARD Act when consumers had to opt in or opt out of going over limit for a credit card or debit card.
freehe
12/29/2016 9:24:45 PM
User Rank Platinum
AT&T and AI
I despise the IVR (interactive voice response) systems. They are never configured properly and don' take into accounts the different variables with voice:
soft
loud
deep
light
accents
male
female
pitch
tone
voice challenges (stuttering, lisps, etc.)
faryl
12/30/2016 12:37:03 AM
User Rank Platinum
Re: AT&T and AI
I also don't like that every single one seems to start with "listen closely as our options have recently changed".
(I have a friend who insists the most foolproof way to reach a real person to just make gutteral nonsense noises at each voice prompt!)
srufolo1
12/30/2016 10:51:46 PM
User Rank Platinum
Re: AT&T and AI
However, sometimes gutteral nonsense noises will elicit a "Sorry, I did not understand that response."
Re: AT&T and AI
I had to experience this little more than sometimes. It gets frustrating at times and we end up spending more time on calls.
faryl
1/31/2017 6:53:57 PM
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Re: AT&T and AI
@srufolo1 At which point I usually end up wanting to throw my phone!
freehe
12/29/2016 9:25:50 PM
User Rank Platinum
AI not so great
I took an AI class in college and AI still has not taken off as a demanded technology or service. The industry has a long way to go before it can provide high quality service.
freehe
12/29/2016 9:29:58 PM
User Rank Platinum
AT&T Subscribers
With all the companies using data to analyze and predict consumers needs and wants they still are a long way from getting it right and providing the services customers really want.
I am still waiting for an option that says "provide feedback on service" or "disastified customers" or an option for "disclosure of fees" or an option on the main menu for "speak to an operator" instead of going through several menu options to hear that option.
Re: AT&T Subscribers
I am still waiting for an option that says "provide feedback on service" or "disastified customers"...
That is a good one. I hope people are watching this and hope this will get into menu options one day.
faryl
12/30/2016 12:53:31 AM
User Rank Platinum
Re: AI not so great
Why do you think that is?
I wonder if part of it that people think of AI as "artificial human" instead of "artificial intelligence"? AI may be more prevalent than people realize, it's just happening in more subtle ways?
Re: AI not so great
Me too, I took this in college. That time the subject use to mesmarize.
You are right that we still haven't gotten too far in this field.
faryl
12/30/2016 12:51:02 AM
User Rank Platinum
Re: AT&T and AI
Part of the issue too is that everything just ends up as more fine print and the "it's just something we're legally required to disclose" stuff masks the "this should be raising major red flags" stuff.
srufolo1
12/30/2016 5:50:19 PM
User Rank Platinum
Re: AT&T and AI
@freehe Exactly. It seems like the companies are controlling the consumers too much, leaving them little choice. I don't like the free reign they have. As far as opting in for going over a credit card limit, guess that's why my credit card debt got so high!! Maybe not such a good idea after all ... at least not for me.
elizabethv
12/31/2016 6:42:12 AM
User Rank Platinum
Re: AT&T and AI
@srufolo1 - I'm not sure I'm completely sold on AI being the next biggest, hottest thing. But think about how twenty years ago, when grocery stores started using club cards, some people were reluctant to join, not liking the thought that a grocery store was monitioring everything they bought at the store. But today, most don't seem to have any issue with a "club card" idea, so long as it saves them money. I think this is really pretty similar, some might initially be wary of the idea, but eventually will give in to "normalacy" and move on with their lives.
srufolo1
12/31/2016 6:42:17 PM
User Rank Platinum
Re: AT&T and AI
@elizabethv While what AT&T is using AI for what may just be something everyone else is doing just to improve its business, I think AI in the broader sense will have a significant impact on our lives, as jobs begin to be taken over by robots. I always think of the robot Hymie on that show "Get Smart," who had a supercomputer for a brain. He appeared to be human but was just a mass of wiring underneath. One day we will not be able to discern who is a robot and who is human.
Re: AT&T and AI
@srufolo: Ah, I miss Get Smart.
Of course, Hymie was only deployed in particularized, limited circumstances. Agents 86 and 99 (and their colleagues) still had jobs and were still needed to assess situations as a human would.
A yet better example might be Data from Star Trek: TNG.
AT&T Banks on AI
This article is very interesting and straight to the point. I find it great that one of the long term goals that was mentioned is by adding AI in order to predict subscribers needs. It will be beneficial with the advanced technology additions and updates. The ECOMP is really interesting because as we're creating applications, as the technology and the platforms exist already so that means we are writing a simple design of the whole application creation.
afwriter
12/28/2016 11:29:44 PM
User Rank Platinum
You Have to Go Through IBM
Anyone who is serious about using AI right now has to look at Watson and know that IBM is the leader in AI and no one else is anywhere close. Companies would be much better off piggy backing off of IBM than trying to go their own way.
Michelle
12/29/2016 1:59:33 PM
User Rank Platinum
Re: You Have to Go Through IBM
@afwriter I can imagine IBM hopes others see AI this way too! IBM has spent a lot of time and money on Watson. They most certainly want companies to use it over creating an in-house application. Who else has the time/money to do such a thing?
dcawrey
12/29/2016 7:16:55 PM
User Rank Platinum
Re: You Have to Go Through IBM
@afwriter I would rather talk to a real person as well. This is why I think AI is going to take quite some time to take off. If companies start offering AI services right away they aren't going to be very good. There needs to be substantial improvement first.
faryl
12/30/2016 12:40:20 AM
User Rank Platinum
Re: You Have to Go Through IBM
Agreed. Some places seem to consider what boils down to auto-replies based on text filters to be AI.
It just makes already tenuous customer support service even less helpful.
Michelle
12/30/2016 12:14:38 PM
User Rank Platinum
Re: You Have to Go Through IBM
@dc Human interactions are preferable in customer service interactions where a certain amount of troubleshooting is required. AI and automation can sometimes land you in a reply loop that doesn't solve anything.
dcawrey
12/30/2016 6:37:57 PM
User Rank Platinum
Re: You Have to Go Through IBM
@Michelle I totally agree.
It's going to be a tough balance for the time being. The big issue is how much customers will tolerate. It would be great to get to a point where AI is no different than working with a human. But the reality is that I think this is a very far-off prospect.
elizabethv
12/31/2016 6:57:26 AM
User Rank Platinum
Re: You Have to Go Through IBM
@dcawrey - Depending on the format you're thinking of, for working with a computer vs. a human, it may not be as far off as you'd think. They have already standardized scripts for just about all customer service related issues. The humans doing the work now are already expected to stick to the scripts. I can't see it being that big a jump to asking a computer to use the same scripts - if it isn't already being done to some extenet. How people would feel about this, is a completely different matter.
dcawrey
12/31/2016 1:34:17 PM
User Rank Platinum
Re: You Have to Go Through IBM
@elizabethv Even those people who simply follow the scripts are highly annoying.
The issue with customer service is that I call them when I can't fix a problem myself. It's generally a complicated issue, one that does not follow a script. This is where humans are of major importance.
Re: You Have to Go Through IBM
It's generally a complicated issue, one that does not follow a script. This is where humans are of major importance.
@dcawrey:
I can understand what exactly you are saying here. This reminds me of the time when i was working with a team of cust service agents that make calls to members. And I was in calls where we use to listen the entire call conversation that was recorded. It was absolutely interesting to hear that agents have to be really context sensitive and be dynamic in the situation and not sound robotic. Any script can act as a guide but not taken literally. Atleast that has to be the way for good results.
Re: You Have to Go Through IBM
Forgot to mention, that is the importance of human factor. When you think of AI, that could be a good fit for all generi opening messages, closing messages etc.
Michelle
12/31/2016 10:52:37 AM
User Rank Platinum
Re: You Have to Go Through IBM
@dc It's an interesting concept for sure. If science fiction is correct, we don't want a more human AI anyway. The end never turns out how we'd hoped.
Re: You Have to Go Through IBM
@Michelle: Of course, true AI machines could be programmed by being "fed" all of our doomsaying literature and art that warns us against the dangers of AI and told that those scenarios are bad.
But then, if it *really* is AI, the machines will then make their own determination -- regardless of what we advise them.
Michelle
12/31/2016 6:56:56 PM
User Rank Platinum
Re: You Have to Go Through IBM
@Joe I've wondered what might happen if you were to feed all our worst fears into a true AI. Choosing a different option than we expect would be probable (perhaps).
Re: You Have to Go Through IBM
Absolutely true. We can't generalize any solution. It has to be tweaked per situation.
srufolo1
12/30/2016 11:25:51 PM
User Rank Platinum
Re: You Have to Go Through IBM
@dcawrey Have you spoken to a real person lately? Trust me, I think the computerized robot does a better job, even if it does take a little longer.
faryl
12/30/2016 12:54:14 AM
User Rank Platinum
Re: You Have to Go Through IBM
Did you read about the google AI machines that have developed their own language to talk to each other?
elizabethv
12/31/2016 6:35:12 AM
User Rank Platinum
Interesting
It's funny how all of these companies lately want to try to predict our thoughts and needs. (Thinking about Netflix wanting to do something similar.) Both make me think of Google trying to predict my questions. It's really only right when I'm asking a quesiton I've asked before. Otherwise my question might be in the list, but generally not the very first guess they had. I guess this is just one other aspect of technology we should all start seeing coming - an attempt to read our minds. Scary.
AI SchmAI
Call me a pedant, but isn't this not really AI -- but, rather, *very* sophisticated predictive and prescriptive analytics? AI is thinking and forming thought processes like a living being. If enterprises keep bandying about the term "AI" all willy-nilly, it will go the way of other viable technologies that have been relegated to the buzzword stack by real-world executives sick and tired of hearing about them.
srufolo1
12/31/2016 7:26:42 PM
User Rank Platinum
Re: AI SchmAI
I suppose enterprises are overusing the term AI to appear savvy, even though they probably don't know what it means. And they will bandy the term about ad nauseam until no one pays attention anymore. It's the same thing that happened with the terms "Cloud" and "Internet of Everything."
Michelle
12/31/2016 8:36:35 PM
User Rank Platinum
Re: AI SchmAI
Marketing makes the difference in some markets. Next, it will be the Cloud Internet of Every AI Thing.
Al SchmAl
It all depends on the which market it is, but advertising means a lot to some companies. They actually put 100% of themselves into their advertising, so if it doesn't work then they fail. They lose everything that they put into it and that is how a lot of companies just end. I think right now there are loads of companies over using Al to appear sharp-wittedness.
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