News, views and reviews from NZ’s tech sector No Images? Click here Dear , There’s something a little unnerving about Jamie. Maybe it’s the dead eyes and reduced facial movements but the uncanny valley effect is real. She is after all, only a virtual assistant. Jamie, who is still ‘in training’, joined ANZ Bank last month, providing customers with yet another option for engaging with the bank. She joins a growing number of virtual ‘employees’ appearing across New Zealand – Vai has been helping answer visitor questions at Auckland airport, while Sophie has been charged with being an Air New Zealand ‘ambassador’, and Vector is using Will to teach students about energy. Jonathan Cotton took a look at the rise of virtual assistants and asks are they truly helpful, or just a bit gimmicky. In other news:
We also lay out in straightforward terms how you can make the most of AI, right now, and also better understand its implications and benefits for your business in the future. And lastly, we’ve restructured our Cloud as a Platform for Growth webinar with new panellists and a new date: Wed 5 Sep. Join these cloud experts to learn what modern cloud computing offers. Happy reading! Heather Wright Forget the chatbots, ‘virtual assistants’ are taking over nowThe psychological and technological come together in the race for CX AI supremacy... With voice-enabled AI applications like Siri and Amazon’s Alexa, Cortana, and Google Assistant, it’s a bold new world for enterprise, marketers and increasingly consumers. "Chatbots were the canary in the coalmine. Now VAs are coming to give customer experience an AI-enabled upgrade." Back to the future: The power of predictive analyticsWho needs a crystal ball when you've got a better mouse-trap?... Business analytics has been around for some time, but a newer branch, known as predictive analytics is helping businesses predict the unpredictable. “Sophisticated analytical techniques are embedded into more and more applications.” Seven key takeaways from the NZ Esri User ConferenceSome interesting uses of GIS, storytelling winners and a new aerial imagery option… This week’s New Zealand Esri User Conference gave us the chance to peek behind the scenes and see what Kiwi organisations are doing with GIS. "It simplifies complex datasets into easy-to-understand visualisations and provides insights.” Massey University and SAS bolster NZ analytics trainingHealth and public policy analytics join business analytics in Massey Uni lineup... SAS is ramping up its efforts with Massey University to alleviate a shortage of analytics talent, with two new analytics programmes added to the university’s curriculum. “Finding the right data and analysing it for decision making is only productive if you can present the outcomes to your stakeholders, effectively.” AI and ML transforming supply chain managementChanges are driving further demand for human workers with a digital engineer’s skill set... We live in curious times. Technologies such as AI, ML and analytics are transforming how we do business and rewriting what skills are most highly desired. "The ability to discover new patterns in supply chain data on an ongoing basis offers compelling benefits.” Whitepaper: The AI advantageA simple guide to elevating your business using human & machine intelligence... There’s no denying it: The age of AI, or what’s often referred to as the “Fourth Industrial Revolution,” is already here and, in many ways, just getting warmed up. “In just 15ish minutes, you’ll know more about AI than your competitors and your business will be better for it.” This week's sponsor: Upcoming events: > Cloud as a Platform for Growth | Sept 5 | At your desk iStart is proudly supported by these leading Latest Buyer's Guides ERP Buyer's Guide | CRM Buyer's Guide | HR/HCM Buyer's Guide | BI Buyer's Guide Privacy statement: We have sent this weekly eNewsletter to you at your e-mail address: [email address suppressed]. iStart will never share your e-mail address, but you may from time to time receive other event invitations or partner communications from us. You can opt out of these by managing your subscription preferences, where you can also update your e-mail address and other details. Find out more about iStart | Advertise with iStart | Subscribe
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