Archives for March 6, 2016

GoDaddy boss says AI and automation to shift power from big business toward small enterprise

March 6, 2016 by Mark Allinson

Blake Irving, CEO, Go Daddy. Picture courtesy of AllThingsD

The chief executive of GoDaddy, the largest domain registrar in the world, says his company wants to transfer global economic power from large businesses to small enterprises with the help of artificial intelligence and automation technologies.

In an article published on Medium.com, Blake Irving makes a distinction between what he describes as “strong” AI – as practised by Darpa, MIT, Berkeley, IBM, Google and others – and “applied” AI, or AAI, such as machine learning and predictive analytics.

Irving writes: “GoDaddy’s vision is to radically shift the global economy toward small business by empowering people to easily start, confidently grow and successfully run their own ventures.

“We didn’t come to that vision by chance, but rather by identifying the intersection of technological and global economic opportunities — and Applied AI is at the heart of both.”

He adds that there are many benefits to be gained from increasing utilisation of AI and automation, but cautions that these technologies will inevitably lead to global economic upheaval, and result in millions of job losses. [Read more…] about GoDaddy boss says AI and automation to shift power from big business toward small enterprise

Robotics and IoT are a ‘fundamental threat’ to insurance companies, says Capgemini

March 6, 2016 by Mark Allinson

veniam, v2x, v2v, yamaha — Veniam already has customers for its autonomous vehicle networking technology, which utilises Internet of Things

Technology consultancy firm Capgemini claims the insurance industry is facing a “fundamental threat” in the form of the combined forces unleashed by robotics and the internet of things (IoT).

In a recent study – World Insurance Report 2016 – into the growing trend of using robotic process automation for office administration procedures, as well as such things as cars equipped with telemetry devices which record every driving action, Capgemini found that expectations are changing within customers it calls “Gen Y” – those aged between 15 and 34. One example of a new company which has combined IoT and telemetry in vehicles is Veniam.

John Mullen, corporate vice president and global insurance leader for Capgemini, says: “By not providing adequate engagement for digitally-advanced customers, carriers [companies] run the risk of pushing them toward a growing population of market entrants and non-traditional technology-driven competitors.

“Gen Y is clearly indicating that they do business differently and those insurers who respond to them on their terms will have a clear competitive advantage.” [Read more…] about Robotics and IoT are a ‘fundamental threat’ to insurance companies, says Capgemini

‘2016 is the year of the robot’, says Institute for Robotic Process Automation

March 6, 2016 by Mark Allinson

The Institute for Robotic Process Automation (IRPA) has declared 2016 the “year of the robot”.

IRPA, an independent professional association for the robotic process automation (RPA) industry, says 2016 “promises to be a pivotal year for the sourcing marketplace as transformational digital and automation technology both disrupt and enable industries across the globe”.

It adds: “We are standing on the threshold – witnessing the move from hype to reality as advances in emerging technologies converge to create a suite of services and capabilities that has the potential to change business, accelerate business outcomes, reduce cost, create new revenue opportunities and completely redefine how work gets done.”

The US-based knowledge forum has scheduled a series of events, with the next one in 11 days’ time – Outsourcing, automation and innovation seminar series (OAISS), in Dallas, Texas. [Read more…] about ‘2016 is the year of the robot’, says Institute for Robotic Process Automation