Tag Archive for: virtual viewpoint

Talking Conversational AI

By Chris Ezekiel, Founder & CEO

In 2003, motivated by a vision of a time when “conversations powered by computers would transform the world”, I founded Creative Virtual. Over these past 20 years we have constantly been at the forefront of developing innovative conversational AI solutions that address real business issues and deliver real business value. Our V-PortalTM and V-PersonTM products have won many awards, are rated highly by analyst houses, and have benefited businesses in 25 countries.

The Gluon release of our V-Person Technology, which we launched globally on 16 May, continues our history of innovation and bringing to market new powerful solutions that deliver real business value. It also inches us closer towards the reality of the vision that we dreamt about all those years ago.

A transformational product, Gluon has raised the bar and shows that it is possible to create responsible enterprise-grade conversational AI solutions that put organisations in control, enable accuracy of content curation and sharing, and deliver accurate and consistent real-time multi-channel customer and employee experiences.

The microservices architecture of Gluon gives organisations a higher level of agility, workflow flexibility, accelerated integration capability, and enables scalability, supporting the composable enterprise model favoured by companies.

This architecture also provides stronger security, makes our system much easier to use, and enables organisations to deliver richer and more powerful customer and employee experiences through the seamless delivery of accurate, relevant content across multiple channels in real-time.

Creative Virtual’s experienced R&D team have been actively examining and testing large language models (LLMs) for many years. With Gluon, we have made LLMs configuration easier; providing native support in V-Portal and enabling organisations, with one click, to choose both their preferred language model and deployment method, whether that be on-premise, in a public or private cloud.

That’s not all. Because of the team’s unparalleled knowledge and experience in conversational AI development, we can provide our customers with the ability to mitigate the potential data privacy and protection risks associated with LLMs, through our innovative engineering and putting in place measures, processes and systems, that still allow our clients to reap the maximum benefit of these models.

The ground-breaking technological capabilities of the Gluon release with its advanced features and functionality, and redesigned user-interface, are matched by the equally impressive business value it can deliver. The time, efficiency, productivity and cost savings are measurable, and greater personalisation capability provides for an enhanced reputation through better customer and employee experiences.

Operationally, the Gluon release simply becomes part and parcel of an organisation’s technology ecosystem, integrating seamlessly into its current tech landscape and enabling improved utilisation of current assets.

The Gluon release of our V-Person technology marked a momentous day in our history. It was also a day that has advanced conversational AI solutions that deliver real business value. With the continued growth of computational power, technological innovation, and human ingenuity, the time when “conversations powered by computers are transforming the world” is now, and will also be tomorrow and the future.

Whilst we are constantly driven by our vision which, excitingly, we continue to see unfold before us, we are equally motivated by our belief in “The Science of Conversation” which has been our strapline since day one.

The ‘science of conversation’ is at the heart of our Gluon release, blending, in a seamless way, the art of conversation and the rigour of science and engineering to herald a new era in conversational AI.

APAC demonstration

EMEA demonstration

US demonstration

Human Hallucinations

By Chris Ezekiel, Founder & CEO

There are so many organisations having their say on ChatGPT, but not everything that is being said should be taken at face value.

Companies wondering how they will be able to best leverage large language models (LLMs) – whether that be GPT, LaMDA, Galactica, Megatron-Turing or any other model – need to ensure they separate fact, fiction and fantasy.

We’ve been innovating in the conversational AI space for nearly two decades and as technology continues to advance, we are constantly asking ourselves serious questions about how it may, or is, disrupting the value we can add. This drives us to innovate, so that our customers can maximise real business value from our solutions.

The hot topic of LLMs is not new to us. Our team has been exploring and investigating them for about two and half years now.

One of the enterprise-level features of the Gluon release of our V-PersonTM Technology, which we launched on 16 May, is native support for LLMs. Like all technology, the value lies in how it is used, and this is also the case with LLMs.

An example of how we are using LLMs is theme matching. This has come about following many conversations with our customers and partners and listening to their concerns, challenges and requirements. This use of LLMs is value adding; ensuring accuracy of responses in real-time, at a significantly lesser cost and greatly reduced time and effort compared to similar possible methods.

When going down the LLM route, the questions companies need to be asking are:

  • What is the conversational AI provider able to deliver, that can’t simply be done by using LLMs such as ChatGPT directly?
  • What value is the conversational AI provider adding to your business through real customer use cases they are showing?
  • Can the conversational AI provider back up and demonstrate what they are saying?
  • What is the data privacy, security and sovereignty safeguards that the provider has in place?

The reason these questions must be asked is because simply using ChatGPT to do something doesn’t mean it adds any value. Companies need to look for a provider who delivers conversational AI solutions that address real business challenges and are designed to deliver real business value.

Let me give you an example of what I saw recently on a webinar. Presenting an example of a transactional chatbot, the company demonstrated how easy it is to build a currency converter using ChatGPT.  Good so far.  But:

  1. How many of us have been using Google to do that for as long as we can remember? and,
  2. This is not as a transactional chatbot, and to call it one is disingenuous.

A transactional chatbot that adds value to a business would be one that, for example, would be able to add money to your travel card. Having a chatbot able to execute the task deflects this common transaction away from the contact centre. This is of value to a business as it allows them to free up agents to deal with more complicated customer issues that require a live agent.

Companies should also feel confident to challenge their conversational AI provider to substantiate what they are saying.  We hear and read a lot about responsible AI, but you need to insist that your provider can show you exactly how they going to deliver this, the measures they have embedded and processes they are following. Responsible AI starts with responsible humans.

Similarly, companies should be confident that their provider is fully versed in data protection, private and sovereignty, and understands the language model infrastructure and how it uses data. Organisations must ask what is happening to the data, and if queries put to ChatGPT are being processed on overseas infrastructure how does this affect data sovereignty or other data protection issues.

The pace at which LLMs are advancing means that the best conversational AI provider is one that is extremely agile in terms of product development. Recently we added the capability to deploy language models locally, both on-premise and in a private cloud, to alleviate the concerns of some clients about sending data to globally deployed models.

Our approach to product development has always been in collaboration with our customers and partners. This ensures that our innovation is driven by solving real business challenges and enables us to deliver real business value.

Unfortunately, there are a lot of unsubstantiated claims about ChatGPT, LLMs and AI but with the right provider, conversational AI is a great tool for businesses looking to deliver better customer and employee experiences.

The excitement about ChatGPT is causing human hallucinations, so ask those questions of your conversational AI provider.

An Experience Designed for Your Customers

By Chris Ezekiel, Founder & CEO

Every month I write a column for Wharf Life, a fortnightly publication that’s available for free around Canary Wharf, Docklands, and east London as well as in an E-Edition online. Titled Virtual Viewpoint, I use this column to share my thoughts on a variety of technology related topics as well as my recent experiences. My latest Virtual Viewpoint was about grocery shopping at the local Canary Wharf Waitrose, something I’ve done regularly – and without much fanfare – since the store opened over 20 years ago.

For all those years I was always baffled by the wine bar in the middle of the food shopping court. On many occasions, I would wonder why on earth people would want to combine the drudgery of picking up their spuds and toothpaste with a glass of wine. I was especially perplexed considering the abundance of lovely bars in such close proximity. Yet, it’s always appeared consistently busy and continued to be a fixture of the store despite the updates and renovations over the years.

The penny finally dropped the other day after my wife and newborn son arrived home from the hospital, and we were suddenly thrust into the two-under-two club. A few days into the lovely chaos of both chasing a toddler and caring for an infant, and suddenly a trip to Waitrose felt quite exciting!

With a spring in my step, I put on my noise cancelling headphones with some relaxing music and the experience felt completely different to normal – more like a trip to a health spa. Oblivious to the mundanities of my shopping trip, I suddenly stumbled upon the bar. And that’s when the light bulb moment happened. I was in my personal spa, and the idea of a glass of champagne amid the shoppers made perfect sense.

Every company has a target customer base, and it’s no secret that designing your experience for your target customer is good for business. Yet within that target group there are a variety of subgroups that have different needs and expectations. Those variations could be based on age, location, access to technology – even number of children! It’s important that you consider these differences when making customer experience (CX) decisions.

As the leader of a conversational AI company, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that I am a huge supporter of implementing technology to improve your CX. But I am also a huge supporter of keeping the human at the centre of all CX decisions. While Creative Virtual’s V-Person™ solutions successfully automate digital customer service, forcing all customers to only self-serve with a virtual agent is never a good CX decision.

This is just one reason why it’s key to consult with experts on your CX strategy. This group of experts should include those experienced with your industry, with the technology, and with your identified use cases. It should also include your customers – the true experts on their experiences with your organisation, products, services, and employees.

Go beyond the typical customer surveys and dig into rich data like conversations with your virtual agent and contact centre. See what customers are actually asking, where they are experiencing pain points, and what they really love. Look for ways you can make experiences easier and more personalised. And be sure to take into consideration the varying preferences and needs of your whole customer base – get insights from both the carefree dad of one young child and the sleep-deprived parent of two-under-two!

If you’re local to Canary Wharf and want to discuss customising your CX with conversational AI, I’d be happy to meet you at Waitrose for a glass of wine and a chat. You can also arrange a session with one of Creative Virtual’s experts around the world by contacting us here.

A great resource if you’re evaluating different conversational AI solutions is the 2023 Chatbot Buyer’s Guide. It includes a technology comparison chart that can help you determine the specific functionality you’ll need to design the right experience for your customers.

Running Towards My Virtual Viewpoint

By Chris Ezekiel, Founder & CEO

At the end of last year I started writing a regular column for The Wharf News, a weekly newspaper distributed in the Canary Wharf area of London. Aptly titled ‘Virtual Viewpoint’, the column gives me the opportunity to share my thoughts on technology and science. I’m really enjoying writing these columns and looking at the impact technology and science have on our lives and businesses.

I often use my running time to think about my column and how technology is impacting the world – and I’ve had a lot of time to think lately since I’ve been training for the London Marathon! Sometimes I find myself reminiscing and taking a walk down memory lane; sometimes I find myself contemplating our digital future; sometimes I find myself analysing technology’s impact on businesses. At the end of my runs, I often find that I’ve thought about things in a different way and come up with ideas I know I wouldn’t have otherwise.

I enjoy seeing my column in print every month, but I also wanted a way to share them digitally and have started publishing them on LinkedIn as well. Check out the links below to catch up on the ones already published:

  • Virtual Viewpoint :: 30 November 2017 – I take a look at the current technological revolution and the impact artificial intelligence will have on jobs and quality of life.
  • Virtual Viewpoint :: 4 January 2018 – I contemplate whether we are reaching a point of having too many gadgets and the issues of privacy and data protection that come with using them.
  • Virtual Viewpoint :: 1 February 2018 – I think back to a time before instantaneous global communication and reflect on why we all need to find a way to escape the digital world.
  • Virtual Viewpoint :: 8 March 2018 – I share my annoyance with people failing to communicate properly and how dumping ‘old’ methods of communication diminishes our lives along with companies’ profits.
  • Virtual Viewpoint :: 5 April 2018 – I know my pro-Brexit view isn’t popular within the business community, but I believe this is a historic opportunity to build a global economy for UK businesses to thrive within.

For those of you who are local, don’t forget to pick up a free copy of The Wharf every Thursday. I’ll also continue to add my new ‘Virtual Viewpoint’ columns on LinkedIn, so be sure to connect with me there. I’m sure I’ll be finishing the marathon on Sunday exhausted but with lots of fresh inspiration for my upcoming columns.

On a personal note, I want to thank everyone who has supported my London Marathon fundraising efforts for Jewish Care. You can still sponsor me here. Good luck to my fellow Creative Virtual marathon runners – Rachel Freeman who is running for the Royal National Institute of Blind People (sponsor Rachel) and Maria Ward who is running for the Ipswich Hospital Charity (sponsor Maria)! See you at the finish line!