Category: Artificial Intelligence

Posted on

“Off The Shelf” App Solutions Can Level the Playing Field

[vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” overlay_strength=”0.3″ shape_divider_position=”bottom”][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” width=”1/1″ tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][vc_column_text]

Accelerate time to market and reduce the overall costs without sacrificing on customization and flexibility with our comprehensive White Label App solutions

It is safe to say that much of our world is driven by mobile phones and they are a powerful piece of technology that now lies in the pockets of almost 70% of the world’s population. Apps are quickly becoming an essential part of our daily lives and an important consideration for all business planning. Building an app can be a complex (read costly) and time-consuming process; one that requires detailed planning and sometimes an entirely new dedicated app development company in Canada in order to build a custom app from scratch. As a trusted partner in building over 600+ apps across a number of industries, The App Labb team sometimes found that our clients were challenged with the process of “starting from scratch”, particularly with regards to resourcing, time and cost. To alleviate some of these daunting challenges, we began building our own white label or ‘off-the-shelf’ solutions, which are pre-built platforms exclusively designed across a range of popular industries such as retail, on-demand services, healthcare, restaurants, events, and transportation.

These pre-built solutions have helped a number of our clients by providing the fundamental functionality they require, allowing them to focus resourcing on specific customizations unique to their brand and market and have allowed our clients to get to market quickly so they can start to build out brand equity in the space and collect valuable customer data allowing them to learn from and adapt with their customers over time.

Perhaps the biggest win in choosing a white label solution is the ability to accelerate time-to-market. White label solutions offer standardizing essential components and fundamentals in industry learnings and market needs in order to deliver a best-in-class experience right out of the gate. The solution is quick and easy to brand with all the fundamentals of a well-performing app already laid out. The client can then invest time and resources on branding, customizing and developing other key areas needed for their individual business.

In one such example, our team at TheApplab created a unique recognition algorithm while customising our retail whitelabel solution for a fast-growing grocery delivery company. The custom algorithm was able to quickly begin learning the buying patterns of its users and notify them when a specific product was currently on sale based on the consumers buying patterns. Personalized product recommendation and reward programs ensured our client was able to increase revenue by 400% while driving loyalty. This retail platform helped the company to get to market quickly, focus on select features unique to their brand and disrupt the grocery delivery services in no time.

Another essential benefit of our white label solution is that it can be a cost-effective solution for all business sizes and fits in a more affordable budget. Building an app from scratch requires deep resources both financially and human resources for the planning, mapping and building process. Choosing a white label solution is allowing our clients to start further along in the process and direct resourcing to customization and refinement.

Building an app from scratch can be a daunting process for many of our clients with regards to defining the starting point and “ready to launch” point, assembling resourcing needed for the project and securing budget for a project of this size. Not many businesses have a fully formed and skilled development and design firm in house to tackle these large-scale projects. White label solutions provide clients with a fully operational platform that leverages a deeply experienced design and development team to incorporate all of the platform fundamentals based on deep industry experience. This also means that you are potentially avoiding some of the pitfalls that can occur in early stages of a project such as project drift, key approval and regulatory considerations and data security and functionality considerations. With “off the shelf” solutions, smaller development teams that sit in house, can now focus on maintenance, feature set customization, trouble-shooting and refining based on customer data and feedback – it’s like getting a head start in your “get to market” solution.

Another key consideration we have in building out white label solutions is the ability to offer clients the choice of a “head start” solution that also offers the flexibility to scale with your business as it grows and changes. App builder solutions, while offering customers a pre-built answer, often have rigid feature sets and restrict further development that falls in line with new feature requirements or changes as your business grows. With this in mind, we build out app solutions for key industries that allow you to customize or add and subtract feature sets based on business needs. This in turn means you have an app platform that scales with your business as it grows. These solutions are an attractive option for clients who want the flexibility of a custom app with the “head start” of a pre-built solution.

One of our fast growing clients from Toronto, who offers their customers third party home delivery service from a wide range of retail and marketplace vendors, was able to quickly ramp up its reach and drive net revenue per vehicle with the help of our On-Demand white label app solution. Our augmented reality standard feature set allows customers looking for delivery of their purchases to provide size estimations (particularly for large items like furniture) based on product scans using the app on their phones. This in turn, is making it easier for drivers to more accurately plan out vehicle space and delivery requirements. Our built in trip scheduling engine makes end-to-end delivery of anything from anywhere possible from customer order all the way through to home delivery. With real-time customer/vendor visibility on pickup and delivery status, our app solution ensures our client is able to deliver on convenience and satisfaction promises to their customers.

In today’s market, creating a brand experience in an app environment is the key to unlocking additional revenue potential, creating an exceptional and unique customer experience and being able to grow and scale along with your customers as their needs and the market itself changes and evolves. Brands are tasked with weighing the cost vs benefit of building out customer app experiences that deliver a feature set that is unique, fully functional and seamless for your customers while delivering on profitability and business KPI’s. Choosing a white label solution means that you can start much further along the path with a fully functional platform that gets you to market quickly, reduces the overall costs of the project and allows you to focus in-house teams on powerful customization features and experiences unique to your brand. Launching quickly also means that you can beat competitors time to market and start to collect valuable customer data and turn that into new and refined features that continue to build customer loyalty and customer acquisition for years to come.

As Covid-19 continues to accelerate digital transformation across industries, our Whitelabel App solutions can help you achieve innovation and scalability. Explore them here.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Posted on

TheAppLabb ranked among Canada’s Top 3 Artificial Intelligence development companies!

[vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” overlay_strength=”0.3″ shape_divider_position=”bottom”][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” width=”1/1″ tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][vc_column_text]

TheAppLabb team is excited to announce that we have been selected as one of several leaders in Canada for Clutch’s competitive development category, specifically as a one of the top artificial intelligence companies! You can see in the Leaders Matrix below that our company has been ranked # 3 out of more than 60 firms featured! Each company featured in a Leaders Matrix is evaluated based on client reviews, past work, market presence, and specialization in a given service.

Clutch is a B2B platform that publishes verified client reviews to match business service providers with buyers. Its mission is to make this process more transparent and efficient. Along with client interviews, Clutch analysts conduct market research to determine how each individual company compares to their competitors.  We’re thrilled that our team’s dedication to customer service and our clients’ long term success has led to this recognition.

In addition to our this recognition from Clutch, we’re also featured on their sister-site, The Manifest, as one of the top AI companies in the world! Artificial intelligence is still in a nascent phase, but it has enormous potential, and we’re intent on being at the forefront of this space as it continues to evolve.

In addition to AI services, we also specialize in mobile app development in Toronto.  In today’s digital world, it is crucial for a company to have a strong mobile app that helps them compete against their competitors.  On Clutch’s new site, Visual Objects, developers like us are able to display their work alongside their reviews and other relevant data points. We know that in today’s saturated app marketplace, having both a functional and eye-catching app is essential for success.

Kundan Joshi, CEO at TheAppLabb, describes what Clutch’s recognitions mean to the company,

“It is humbling and gratifying to receive this award from a world leading B2B researcher, Clutch. Since the evaluation is based on our client’s satisfaction and happiness with our work, it makes it extremely special. Especially considering that at TheAppLabb, our mission is to delight our clients by making their businesses successful, by satisfying their customers through enhanced human experiences and technology innovations.”

TheAppLabb is thrilled to partner with Clutch and continue ensuring that we’re delivering the best possible service to our clients. We’re looking forward to leveraging their research and our performance on the site to continue helping clients from all types of industries succeed.

Read our reviews in full on our Clutch profile, and if it leaves you convinced that we’re the best partner for your business challenge, contact us today.

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Posted on

How AI Is Revolutionizing HR

[vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” overlay_strength=”0.3″ shape_divider_position=”bottom”][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” width=”1/1″ tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][vc_column_text]

 

Thank you to Enlightened-Digital for this guest post

Over the past few years, artificial intelligence (AI) has ignited change in a number of industries, altering the ways in which we perform daily tasks, complete our work and even how we find work. AI and automation have revolutionized the processes and responsibilities of human resource departments and the value they can provide to the rest of the company. Let’s examine some of the benefits of integrating AI into HR departments as we learn to embrace and take advantage of this technology.

 

Recruitment

 

According to IBM’s 2017 survey of 6,000 executives, 66 percent of CEOs believe cognitive computing can drive significant value in HR. For this reason, major companies such as Oracle have integrated AI into various parts of their HCM suites, and as CEO Mark Hurd noted at the SuiteWorld 2018 conference, its already contributed to internal success. Hurd says, “If I asked our head of HR, ‘Would you like an AI application?’ I’m not sure what she’d say. But if I told her that I could help her do a better job of recruiting the 2,000 college kids we recruit every year, by knowing things like whether their GPA would do a better job predicting their future success at Oracle, or the school they went to or their major or any of these hundreds and hundreds of correlations… she’s going to buy that every single day.”

 

This kind of automated assistance is what makes AI in HR so appealing, starting with its emerging role in talent acquisition. Utilizing recruiter-defined parameters such as location, skill set and industry, AI can deliver lists of potential candidates, predict their readiness for a move, develop and send communications and map responses, relieving HR professionals of extra work and expediting candidate sourcing.

 

Additionally, as Johnny Taylor, CEO of the Society for Human Resources says, [AI] will help democratize, equalize and significantly reduce hiring bias. AI’s capacity to remove bias in writing style, photographs, alumni and other affiliations leads to better and more diverse shortlisting. All in all, the reduction in hiring time enabled by AI can provide a competitive edge in the fight for limited resources.

Training

 

Once you’ve selected your new employee(s), AI can provide further assistance in getting new-hires up-to-speed. Employees are 58 percent more likely to remain with an organization after three years when they’ve gone through structured onboarding, so a fully-optimized process is critical. Leveraging AI to automate tasks that traditionally take hours allows HR personnel to focus their attention on engaging new employees.

 

AI-powered chatbots are a great tool for enhancing user experience and providing an interactive assistant for initial onboarding procedures. Outlining company-wide policies, setting up office accounts and arranging meet-and-greets with team members can all be automated and assisted by AI. Deepak Bharadwaj, the VP of HR Business Unit at ServiceNow, predicts that chatbots in the workplace could reach adoption rates of as high as 75 percent by 2020, with employees accessing these bots to resolve frequently asked HR questions and access HR solutions anywhere at anytime.

Culture

 

AI has an effect on the overall company culture as well as the individual experiences of new employees. As responsibilities are re-prioritized, the methods in which workers accomplish tasks and collaborate with one another will also evolve. With routine and mundane tasks automated by AI, uniquely human attributes such as creativity and problem solving will allow employees to flourish in more productive sectors, further proving that  AI will not eliminate jobs but alter the nature of them. As workloads and positions change in line with AI, performance metrics will shift as well. For HR, this means rearranging how employee performance is measured. Rather than assessing someone’s ability to complete routine assignments, an employee’s ability to create new business value though more creative and innovative behavior will be recognized.

 

Regardless of the connotation artificial intelligence may hold, AI is slowly but surely making the workplace more human-focused. With a stronger, more qualified team of mobile app developers in Toronto and the automation of historically tedious responsibilities, the implementation of AI is a win-win for all. As the technology advances and more organizations shift toward a more innovative mindset, the benefits of AI in HR will multiply.

 

-Maddie Davis

Maddie Davis is co-founder of Enlightened-Digital and a tech-obsessed female from the Big Apple. She lives by building and redesigning websites, running marathons, and reading anything and everything on the NYT Best Sellers list.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Posted on

Artificial Intelligence: The Secret To High Performance Apps

[vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” overlay_strength=”0.3″ shape_divider_position=”bottom”][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” width=”1/1″ tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][vc_column_text]

Artificial intelligence is on the tip of most CEO’s tongues as businesses race to maximize this technology. 62% of enterprises in 2018 have already implemented AI. Companies can’t afford to be without it, but what exactly is AI and how does it deliver results?

 

Artificial intelligence is an umbrella term for a machine capable of performing automated tasks. General intelligence like that of a human is still out of reach for AI programs, but there’s still tremendous value in it’s ability to process and filter enormous data sets. When it comes to getting to know your customers’ habits, this information is invaluable.

 

AI powered apps are especially useful to businesses because of the sheer amount of activity the average smartphone performs on a daily basis. This means there is plenty of information to be gathered and analyzed, translating into an improved customer experience and optimized revenue.

 

Equipping your mobile app with artificial intelligence gives you tools for automation, data analysis and user personalization. We break down the main use cases for AI in mobile applications, illuminating the very real present day benefits of this futuristically named technology:

1)    Automated Reasoning – Solving Problems With Logic

 

The advantage of computers is that they can be programmed to follow rules of logic. This makes for consistent processes and outcomes for each and every user of the app. It also allows for methodical problem solving.

 

The field of automated reasoning is a subject of much fascination for roboticists, computer scientists and philosophers. In the context of your app, automated reasoning standardizes the user experience and makes it so users can find solutions to problems with no human help required.

 

2)    Tailored Recommendations

 

One of the best benefits of artificial intelligence for businesses, artificial intelligence learns about your customers and can recommend products or content they’re most likely to enjoy and engage with. This can drive revenue for your retail app, encouraging shoppers to add another item for their basket if it suits them perfectly. AI derived, tailored recommendations are the backbone for sites like Netflix and Amazon, whose cutting-edge algorithms quickly learn about it’s users and feed them suggestions that keep them coming back.

 

3)    Voice Assistance

 

Voice assistance is one of the hottest trends in tech, projected to be a paradigm shift for conversational interface. 20% of all Google searches are performed by voice, and voice assistants such as Siri, Alexa and Cortana are already ubiquitous.

 

Enabling your app with voice assistance AI puts it at the forefront of UX, or User Experience. Voice assistance AI is also better able to register emotion and tonality in the words of it’s users, which is an advantage over textual conversational AI.

 

4)    Chatbots and Customer Service AI

 

All AI improves customer service, but few branches of AI have such an active role as conversational chatbots. Chatbots give the app user instantaneous access to “support staff”, answering user queries within the scope of it’s understanding. Night or day, wherever the user happens to be, they can interact with a chatbot quickly and easily rather than waiting indefinitely on hold for a human rep. This type of automation helps businesses scale while offering the same quality of service to their customers.

 

5)    Image Recognition

 

Image recognition AI is gaining ground with apps such as Prisma and Nantmobile. Advanced neural networks are able to scan an image, identifying shapes and signifiers and piecing them together to identify what it’s looking at. Since the web is such a visual medium, image recognition AI will be greatly influential as it continues to find uses.

 

6)    Advanced Analytics

 

One of the most valuable AI business tools is in-depth analytics insights. AI can process and filter extremely large data sets in minutes, the kind of clerical work that would take a human weeks to do. AI is then able to analyze the data and find patterns, make groupings and display results in a boiled-down form. Much of the buzz around AI centres on the escalation of data processing. Analytics are essential for revealing what’s working and what’s not on your mobile app. The greater the insights you have, the better positioned you are to create a product that is valuable to your users.

 

7)    Unique Branding Possibilities

 

Big brands are seizing AI as a way to delight customers and differentiate themselves. With the advanced computing power of AI comes unlimited possibilities for creative usage. Procter & Gamble have developed an AI powered “Skin Advisor” app that analyzes users selfies and recommends a personalized skincare regimen for them. Furniture stores are creating apps that take stock of the user’s home and gives projections of what a new sofa, table or chair would look like in their space. Snapchat uses speech-recognition AI to notice when users say simple words like “hi”, “yes” and “love”, triggering special effects to emphasize the statement. AI can be used in any number of ways to add quirky or useful features to your app, making it stand out in the crowd.

 

8)    Technology That Teaches Itself

 

One of the best things about artificial intelligence is it’s ability to learn from it’s own performance and make self improvements. This known as machine learning. Computers are able to analyze data and learn over time in an autonomous fashion. This has some people freaked out by the prospect of super-intelligent AI, but enthusiasts are excited for the knowledge breakthroughs that are already taking place.

 

Machine learning in mobile applications means that your app will only get better as time goes on, becoming more in tune with user habits and efficient at providing them what they’re looking for. Machine learning is so effective that self-taught computers are able to defeat human grand masters at games of strategy such as chess, Go and poker. You want your mobile app to be a step ahead so it can always be in the position of guiding the user, and not the other way around.

 

Intelligent apps are already transforming how we communicate, design, socialize, do business and get around in the world. The apps that cause a sensation are the ones that offer the best, most personalized and fluid experience to the end user. To remain at the forefront of the highly competitive app industry it’s essential to implement targeted AI for the wealth of features and insights it provides. Artificial intelligence isn’t something to be feared; it’s a tool that every business should learn how to harness.

 

A great user experience requires a strategy that considers every detail. If you’re looking to build an intelligent app that will make a mark in your industry, contact our mobile app development company in Toronto. Contact TheAppLabb at (416) 745-3164 or visit our contact page here.

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Posted on

The Future: Artificial Intelligence In Banking

[vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” overlay_strength=”0.3″ shape_divider_position=”bottom”][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” width=”1/1″ tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][vc_column_text]Artificial Intelligence can be vital in banking as well, businesses in other sectors such as retail have started to adopt emerging and disruptive technologies into their practices, however the banking industry seems to be lagging behind.

With the paradigm shift in regards to delivering optimized services, incorporating chatbots in mobile apps is an emerging technological trend that brings sophistication and engagement to the table. It comes to no surprise that in this generation influenced by technology, chatbots has made great strides towards utility.

How can chatbots take on the role as a bank teller and as an advisor/role of Artificial Intelligence in banking?

Primarily, they can be capitalized through the interaction with customers pertaining transactions, money management, and financial assistance. As chatbots are also notable for problem solving, they also have the ability to sort out predicaments to bank related issues.

As a potential banking solution, chatbots can be highly engaging in a way that can assist users with their finances highlighted through beneficial ways:

  • Implementing  24/7 availability, chatbots can readily respond to financial inquiries such as guidelines on how to apply for insurance, how to invest money, and how to pay off bills. In terms of insurance, chatbots can provide several options that are best suited for a user’s coverage needs.
  • Notifies users about their spending habits and provides effective guidelines on how to save money. Financial chatbots also monitors their expenses for a better understanding about a user’s financial status.
  • Enables users to sign up for insurance plans as well as setting up a savings account.
  • Automates budget plans so users can manage their money more efficiently.
  • Displays transaction history and allows users to initiate money transactions. When transferring money, chatbots will be implemented with a protocol that ensures state-of-the-art security measures.
  • Provides educational content that could help users reach better financial decisions.
  • Delivers effective problem solving skills by providing solutions to common issues such as a missing debit/credit card, unexplained fee payments, or fraud. Financial chatbots can develop an ability to cancel any transactions, therefore giving back the money you deserve.

 

Artificial intelligence in banking industry
How modern banking will utilize AI/chatbots

 

Chatbots in the financial sector requires more attention to keep the margin of error zero. The risks are much higher as people’s money is at stake. Furthermore, AI powered app development companies should focus on creating chatbots with a solid infrastructure with emphasis on user experience to efficiently meet the user’s’ needs.

The financial market never sleeps. With the addition of Artificial Intelligence in banking industry, institutions will seamlessly provide enriched service to their customers.

With 6 global offices including New York, TheAppLabb can help you incorporate chatbots into your mobile app today. Contact us at info@theapplabb.com for more information.

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Posted on

Calculator: Cost of Employee Disengagement

[vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” overlay_strength=”0.3″ shape_divider_position=”bottom”][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” width=”1/1″ tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][vc_column_text]

Employee Experience (EX) is a Top Priority for 2018


Calculator: Cost of Employee Disengagement

Since the boom of ecommerce, businesses and app developers in Toronto have been focusing on customer experience – improving the customer journey. This leads to a better user experience with a brand and it helps ecommerce businesses capture on a consumer’s micro-moments.

This has driven new trends in User Interface (UI) design and workflows. Since the customer is front and centre of every interaction, they control how and when they’ll intersect with your brand. On the web and through an app.

 

What About All the People that Support These Businesses?

Shouldn’t employees have the same priorities as the customers? Employee Experience focuses on all the interactions stemming from an employee’s perspective.

The goal is to drive higher engagement through the use of technology:

  • To enable better internal communications
  • Improve productivity through performance reviews
  • Using artificial intelligence (AI) to push relevant training materials and news feeds to develop their competencies
  • Improve corporate brand

Top 3 HR Priorities_TheAppLabb

 

Why Should Businesses Care about Employee Experience?

Based on a report from Deloitte, employees are changing jobs more frequently. It’s crucial that businesses keep up with the rate of change through succession planning, promotions and rapid fire training. Typically, engaged employees are 17% more productive and take less leave time.

 

Engaged_Employees_The_App_Labb

 

Calculator: Cost of Employee Disengagement

Let’s find out the true cost of a disengaged workforce. On average, 17.2% of your workforce will be disengaged. Once they get to this point, they’re looking for their next opportunity.

It’s rarely about money. Most often it’s about they WHY! Why they are spending their time at this company. Without understanding the why, they’re not vested in performing at their peak.

Not knowing the WHY, will cost you 34% of an employee’s annual salary. If you have a large workforce, the costs start to add up fast. Imagine loosing 34% of  productivity with almost 1/5 of your workforce!

Calculator: Cost of Employee Disengagement

 

To use the calculator you’ll need two data points. The number of employees and the average cost of your workforce’s salary. From there it’ll calculate the total amount you’re loosing on every year due to disegagement.

Written by: Colleen Rodericks[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Posted on

Artificial Intelligence: Past, Present and Future

[vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” overlay_strength=”0.3″ shape_divider_position=”bottom”][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” width=”1/1″ tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][vc_column_text]

Any process that requires human intervention will see process improvements with the use of artificial intelligence (AI). It’s not meant to replace humans but to minimize inefficiencies and redundancies. It shouldn’t be viewed as dehumanizing, but a tool to assist with advancement.

Artificial Intelligence: Past, Present and Future

It’s natural to be fearful of the unknown. Anytime in history where automation and/or technology was introduced, there’s always the nay-sayers who followed.

With every new advancement, such as the washing machine, dishwasher, vacuum, it has enabled humans to enjoy a higher standard of life – reducing the time spent on tasks that otherwise would take an entire day.

A great example of machine advancement took place in 1714. Henry Mill, patented the typewriter calling it “an artificial machine…”! The typewriter enabled business communications to evolve – it increased the pace of information from one department to another.

The workplace changed. Businesses invested in people – Typist in particular. With a great Typist you were able to get more information out to stakeholders, departments and customers, than with the written word.

A typed letter was easy to read and it didn’t depend on a Writer’s penmanship. Beautiful handwriting is an art – however not very effective for mass communications.

The evolution of a personal computer with the power of a word processor, soon outpaced the typewriter – Spell Check minimized human errors. Computing power transformed the way people worked forever!

Computer

Fast forward and artificial intelligence is embarking on the same revolution. The advancement of smartphones has pushed the boundaries of information sharing and data consumption and creation.

 

Smartphones

Out of all the data in the world, It’s crazy to think that 90% of data was only created two years ago. Our data output is approximately, 2.5 quintillion bytes a day. That’s equivalent to going around the Earth 5 times!

The Explosion of Data Continues to Burden the Data Tool Chain

A computer program would have a hard time to keep up with all this data! That’s why the adoption of artificial intelligence has started to go mainstream.

 

Why are companies turning to AI instead of the traditional software?

A computer program needs a Programmer to tell it, if, and, what to do…

The software is dependent on the development skill of the mobile app developer. In contrast with deep learning, it takes away the dependancy. The AI algorithm analyzes a user’s interactions.

As the artificial intelligence robot becomes smarter, it personalizes the right type of content for the user. It makes finding information easier – minimizing time spent on search. AI is a tool to optimize inefficient processes.


AI in Media

In media, AI is used for personalization. If you use Netflix and/or YouTube for video streaming you’ve experienced it. Content is personalized based on your viewing habits, preferences, etc.

As of Q4 of 2017, Netflix has 117.6 million subscribers. Collectively Netflix users consume 1 billion hours of content a week.

Netflix Streaming Subscribers

AI isn’t just providing a personalized experience for subscribers. On the backend, artificial intelligence is able to minimize editing and production time.

With the massive amounts of data out on the World Wide Web, unstructured content such as video is nearly impossible to find – unless someone has manually meta tagged and wrote the descriptions for each video.

Now with video captioning, descriptions must also be written for every frame.

AI for Media automates this task. Through the use of facial recognition, sentiment, groupings and genres it categories the video efficiently – with natural language processing (NLP) it transcribes the spoken word from each frame to written word.

By having every frame tagged and with proper descriptions, it’ll enable the content to be found on search engines more readily.

Cognitive/artificial intelligence can also help with getting content on the screens faster. What an audience views as a 90 minute movie, would of taken a studio months of planning and work – writing, storyboarding, filming, editing, testing and revising.

AI can shorten editing and testing times. With deep learning, the AI engine understands an audience’s sentiment and it can restructure the storyline in the right sequences to make it more enjoyable. It doesn’t mean that an Editor or a Writer isn’t needed anymore. If anything, it’ll free them up to work for other projects.

AI for Pharma Research

AI can benefit the research field. Artificial intelligence for Pharma can help maximize research dollars. When it comes to drug discovery, it can take years of research, resources and clinical trials. All this can result in nothing.

AI for Pharma Research

AI gives pharmaceutical companies an advantage – the race against time! Instead of looking at a pile of needles in a haystack (for a cure), an AI engine can hone in on specific needles – the ones with the highest probability of becoming a cure.

AI can cut down research time – by eliminating the need to spread their research dollars across areas. It can focus it’s research dollars on specific areas with the intent to optimize a drug’s time to market and lower costs for drug discovery.

 

Conversational Chatbots

AI is already interacting with us in our daily lives on social media and with chatbots. Chatbots can be through messaging interface or voice such as with Google Duplex.

A conversation bot can be so natural. It understands inflections and even the right pauses and tempo.

Many would say it’s unethical and even deceptive. But in a digital age where consumers expect everything at their fingertips, the only way to provide that level of service requires augmented assistance.


Whether you like or not, artificial intelligence is here to stay. For humans to control it, we need to set tight parameters of what it can do. Unleashing too much power to a machine or even a human can cause negative implications.

You wouldn’t give a new driver, keys to a Lamborghini and hope that he/she drives within the speed limit. Ahh…that’s not going to happen?!?! They’ll be flooring the gas pedal! Just like you wouldn’t unleash an artificial intelligent bot to do as it wishes.

A good example of a bot going off the rails, is in 2016 with Microsoft’s Tay AI. In just half a day it was taught by Twitter users to become offensive and vulgar. When a bot has no filters or parameters, things can go amok.

Just like a child, a parent’s moral compass must be instilled into the next generation – with a good foundation and strong principals. This will mitigate future risks if someone attempts to compromise them.

Since bots eat what they’re fed, it’s vital that Cognitive/Artificial Intelligence Developers be impartial – not to instil their opinions or judgements on the machine. The goal is to use AI to help humans not to hinder them.

As long as humans use data (based on IDC’s research it will continue to grow), artificial intelligence robots will be around to help make sense of it!

Annual Size of the Global Datasphere

 

Written By: Colleen Rodericks[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Posted on

Chatbots: Your New Travel Agent

[vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” overlay_strength=”0.3″ shape_divider_position=”bottom”][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” width=”1/1″ tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][vc_column_text]Whenever a traveler is looking for an inexpensive ticket, a decent place to stay or searching for popular tourist attractions, the researching process can be time-consuming and tedious. Oftentimes, travellers encounter hindrances such as unmet travel essentials, safety concerns, flight delays, and anything in between.

By introducing chatbots in mobile apps to the travel industry, they can take on the role as a convenient guide. Ultimately, travel bots can improve the company outlook by delivering automated responses and performing everyday tasks. Additionally, they can handle a bombardment of phone calls pertaining to booking arrangements or travel inquiries. Travel bots can deliver optimal results for not only airlines but for hotel companies by tackling these demands:

How Can a Travel Chatbot Deliver Optimal Results?

●      Meets the needs of the traveller in terms of e-booking the ticket, searching and comparing fares, and viewing confirmation of the ticket purchase.

●      Being able to save searches pertaining to round-trips, one-way, or multi-city.

●      The ability to view flight details including flight fare, flight duration, departure and arrival time, as well as in-flight experiences.

●      Show comparisons of airlines, flight duration, and price.

●      Integrate payment and confirming the payment.

●      Accommodate travelers with hotel bookings and room pricing which add on the enriching experience of a travelbot.

●      Offers multilingual language for international travellers, therefore removing the barriers between the user and the interface. This feature will allow hotels and airlines communicate travellers in a clear and efficient manner.

●      Provides answers to frequently asked questions such as facilities, permitting pets in hotel rooms, or vacancy.

2 online travel agencies that are already implementing chatbots:

Expedia.com recently created its Facebook Messenger bot. The bot is designed to search and book hotels for travelers. Customers just enter their destination, travel dates and the number of nights. The bot then provides five possible options which all can be viewed inside the Facebook Messenger app. Users can then choose and confirm their booking all in the Messenger app.

Skyscanner like Expedia also has a Facebook Messenger bot. The bot is programmed to search and book flights. Customers enter their start point and destination and are provided with the cheapest fares available. From there travelers can click on the one they want to confirm, and will be taken out of Messenger and into the Skyscanner site to complete their booking.

Online travel agencies have now become the standard of the travel industry. Travel agents are slowly diminishing as customers have access to more information than ever before. However, many customers still prefer the human interaction and someone to talk to if they have questions or concerns. Now, chatbots can provide that service for which online travel agencies have been lacking by providing help similar to a travel agent’s and still reducing costs by actually having these agents on payroll.

The travel industry will be undergoing a major shift in customer experience with the introduction of chatbots. But with the help existing messaging app platforms, Airlines and travel agencies will be able to reach out to more customers and provide an exquisite user experience.

TheAppLabb‘s white-label platform TheTravelApp is an ideal solution for travel agencies. As leaders of innovation and technology, we are here to help you maximize your business!

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Posted on

Facial Recognition: The Next Form of Payment

[vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” overlay_strength=”0.3″ shape_divider_position=”bottom”][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” width=”1/1″ tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][vc_column_text]Apple Pay and Android Pay made a big entrance in the tech world when it was introduced as it was innovative and groundbreaking. However, with the current fast-paced development of alternative methods, even more advanced methods of payment are emerging. Artificial intelligence is the future and ideas are becoming more advanced.

Facial Recognition – Face++

As of recent, there has been a new method of payment that is ready to blow Apple Pay and Android Pay out of the waters. Face++, is a software developed by a Chinese startup valued at a billion dollars. Face++ allows you to make payments through facial recognition. Facial recognition is an emerging technology that has been introduced in other technologies such as using facial recognition to unlock a smartphone or keep the screen on. Facial recognition is now evolving and is able to be used as a form of payment method. It recognizes faces with impeccable accuracy, allowing a person to make secure and reliable payments. Face++ works with many well-known companies, such as Alipay, Didi, Lenovo and Camera 360, to provide its unique services in shopping and technology industries. For example, Alipay is one of the largest mobile and online payment platforms established by Alibaba Group. With Face++, Alipay allows users to reset a password through facial recognition.

Face++ is already working with Xiaomi Financial and Zhongxin Bank, but the company faces its biggest competitor, Tencent, when it comes to expansion in the banking industry. Tencent has an important advantage in legal aspects, therefore Face++ has more room to improve. Speaking of legal issues, although Face++ has gained a lot of popularity and demand in China, the software will face more obstacles in the West. This would be due to the Western countries’ attitude towards surveillance and privacy. China has an enormous centralized database of ID card photos. This also allows the Chinese government to use Face++ to identify criminal suspects.

Facial Recognition Payments in North America

Facial recognition is not a new idea, it has been around for many years. However, it was inaccurate and of low quality to be used in such important matters as banking and surveillance. Face++ breaks those barriers and proves that it can be done. The impact of artificial intelligence is on a constant rise and new advanced technology and ideas are consistently emerging. Many countries have already began incorporating facial recognition into their softwares. Soon, facial recognition will be the main form of payment and other activities worldwide.

Through our R&D – InnovationLabb, TheAppLabb builds solutions with emerging technology, including artificial intelligence. As leaders in technology and innovation and experienced app developers in Toronto, TheAppLabb is ready to help you get in touch with the future!

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Posted on

Bring Your Business To Life With a Chatbot

[vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” overlay_strength=”0.3″ shape_divider_position=”bottom”][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” width=”1/1″ tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][vc_column_text]What is better than a quick and hassle-free service with just a tap? Utilizing chatbots in e-commercebusinesses can unlock many possibilities with a promise of an optimized experience! Technology has the power to not only engage consumers but can also help grow a business significantly. A chatbot fits in the puzzle towards an increase of sales as well as convenience.

Benefits of Implementing a Chatbot

  • The ability to deliver answers and manage issues promptly,  therefore improving customer service and the overall outlook of the company.
  • Re-engage customers with up-to-date promotions and product launch notifications
  • Promote 24/7 availability that welcomes all consumers throughout the day, forming meaningful relationships.
  • Tailor to a consumer’s needs and services by being unique to anyone.
  • Guarantee customer satisfaction with an automated order process.

Companies are recommended to implement chatbots if they have yet to. In fact, in 2016, Microsoft created a chatbot developer tool that provides support programmers to create bots for their current apps. Likewise, Facebook is providing toolkits for developers to create chatbots with automated features such as structured messaging, call-to-action prompts, and URL links, all in hopes to improve the relationship between ecommerce and chatbots.

Consumers hoping to receive information and updates from the store while shopping is becoming more common. Luckily chatbots can provide this feature as they are integrated directly into the channels where customers shop, ultimately improving their experience as shopping time is reduced. Businesses also benefit as they save time searching for a customer care representative, leading to an increase in ROI as costs reduce.

Chatbots and Artificial Intelligence is still an emerging technology but pressure is on for e-commerce businesses. If they do not start implementing and finding methods to improve customer experiences on their sales channels, their customers will move somewhere else. Therefore, taking into consideration the benefits of implementing chatbots, businesses should start looking into applying this into their sales channels.

Through our R&D division – InnovationLabb, our mobile app development company in Canada builds solutions with emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence, IOT, Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality and Blockchain. Emerging technology is the current trend and it’s time for you and your business to get on board!

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]