The Oprah special show was a mix of excitement and caution as the discussions highlighted good and bad aspects of AI technology. TechCrunch termed the tone of the show as skeptical and guarded.

Here are key highlights from the “AI and the Future of Us” interview:

The Public Trust Question

Oprah’s AI interview segment with Altman was largely calm. But the American TV host raised one of the critical concerns about AI public trust. Oprah asked Altman whether he could be trusted with a technology that lawmakers and experts have said could lead to job losses and affect humanity.

Altman’s response underscored the potential of AI technology. But he also talked about the need for transparency, maintaining an open dialogue, and delaying AI products where there is a need to do so.

“The best thing we can do is to put this technology in the hands of people, talk about what it is capable of, what it’s not, what we think is going to come, what we think might come, give our best advice about how society should decide to use this, say when we think it’s important to not release something, which we also might get wrong, and build up that trust over time,” he told Winfrey.

Previously, Altman’s commitment to AI safety had been questioned. During Oprah’s Special, he claimed that AI systems can learn underlying concepts within the data they’re trained on, something many experts have disagreed with. 

The Security Threat

Oprah also raised concerns about the security threats posed by the misuse of AI technology in her conversation with Altman. 

“I don’t want to give a false sense of security here. I’m tremendously excited for the good. I think the good will be incredible, but there will be bad too, and we’ll mitigate as much as we can. We have the whole field. But this technology will be misused, like every other technology before it. And we need to be clear-eyed about that, even though — even though I’m so convinced that the upside will be so tremendous,” Altman said.

Altman also noted that he regularly communicates with government officials to discuss how AI systems can be tested for safety and how regulation can enhance security. 

Oprah’s show highlighted another significant AI security issue – Deepfakes. 

YouTube content creator Marques Brownlee demonstrated how AI systems are used to create deepfakes that spread misinformation online. Comparing a sample OpenAI’s Sora footage with an AI-generated footage generated a month ago, Brownlee illustrated how rapidly AI technology has progressed.

FBI’s Christopher Wray also weighed in on the deepfakes security threat who raised concerns over the use of AI-enhanced deepfakes in sextortion and spreading disinformation.

“I was in a conference room, and a bunch of folks got together to show me how AI-enhanced deepfakes can be created. And they had created a video of me saying things I had never said before and would never say,” Wray said.

Wray emphasized the need to acknowledge AI’s vulnerability to misuse in political contexts, particularly by foreigners who may want to undermine democratic processes.

AI Disruption

Bill Gates was expected to discuss the impact of AI on different sectors. Appearing on Oprah’s ‘AI and the Future of Us’ show, Bill Gates expressed hope that AI will improve health and education in unimaginable ways. Gates explained how AI helps improve doctor-patient engagement.

“AI is like a third person sitting in a medical appointment, doing a transcript, suggesting a prescription. And so instead of the doctor facing a computer screen, they’re engaging with you, and the software is making sure there’s a really good transcript,” Gates said.

In education, Gates argued that, unlike human teachers, AI is always available to students. It can motivate them, whatever their knowledge levels are.

Throughout the interview, Gates steered clear of the bias that could arise due to poor AI training. Studies have shown that speech recognition software is more likely to incorrectly transcribe audio from Black speakers than from white speakers. AI biases occur when human biases skew AI algorithms or original training data, leading to distorted outputs and harmful outcomes. 

Conclusion

Oprah’s special show highlighted the potential of AI and the emerging threats that come with its increasing integration into our daily lives. The interview underscored the need for continuous vigilance and regulatory action to safeguard society against rapidly developing technology. As AI systems evolve, new threats will emerge hence the need to balance innovation, ethics, and regulation. 

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CNBC reported that at the event, Chinese companies displayed humanlike robots grabbing sodas and playing the zither while Tesla showed off its Optimus next to its cars.

The Robotics Rush

The events at the Beijing Robot Conference show how tech companies are rushing to invest in humanoid robots. In the same way that China rushed into electric vehicles several years ago, funds are now flowing into humanoid robots.

Over the last decade, China’s robotics industry investment has surpassed the $14.01 billion mark according to Lanchi Ventures Partner, Wei Cao. Lanchi Ventures expects the next milestone in humanoid robot manufacturing to focus on commercial viability where robots move and prioritize tasks. According to Cao, this could happen in the next one or two years.

In the US, Elon Musk has announced plans to roll out tests for Tesla humanoid robots in Tesla plants next year. Musk has claimed that Tesla’s Optimus humanoid robot can fold laundry and will one day clean, cook, and teach kids. According to him, this technology could generate upwards of $25 trillion for Tesla.

Humanoid Startups

The Chinese humanoid robot Beijing conference attracted different robotic startups. Agibot, a Shanghai-based startup which is backed by Lanchi Ventures unveiled five new robots just days before the conference. Some of the robots can be preordered.

Agibot plans to commence deliveries in mid-October. Ads show that its robots can act as gallery guides, sales people, and factory part pickers. Stardust Intelligence also showed off its Astribot S1 humanoid robot featured in a promo video in April.

The company also displayed other humanoid robots performing intricate martial arts moves, writing Chinese brush calligraphy, and playing the zither. Other companies that showcased humanoids were Turui and Galbot. Their robots placed products in baskets or moved soda cans from a shelf to the table.

The number and type of demonstrations at the Chinese humanoid robot Beijing conference increased significantly. Some robots were slow and stiff and it was not clear whether their actions were autonomous or controlled remotely.

US Robotics

Tesla did not showcase its Optimus humanoid robot in action during the conference. However, promotional videos show the robot has high capabilities. According to Cao, robotic technology from Tesla and other US-based companies are about one or two years ahead of China.

But when it comes to humanoid supply chains, China has 95% or more self-sufficiency. US Association for Advancing Automation president, Jeff Burnstein presented virtual demonstrations of humanoids from startups like Agility.

“These are demos, but they as well as others are now in pilot programs, and some companies we believe actually started using them more than just a pilot,” he said.

The association will hold a humanoid conference in the US on October 7.

Emerging Trends

One of the trends that emerged from the humanoid competition Beijing robot conference is specialized humanoids. Rather than replicate the entire human being at a go, robotic companies tend to develop specific parts first before moving to others.

Startups showcased an array of robot hands, gears, and other parts. It is expected that a single robot will be able to perform simple nursing care, tasks, medical treatment, and household tasks.

The post Chinese Humanoids Take On Tesla’s Optimus at Beijing Conference appeared first on Tech Research Online.

According to The Next Web, Riverlane’s Series C funding will propel the startup towards achieving the goal of having 1 million error-free quantum operations by the year 2026.

High Potential

Quantum technologies have the potential to change people’s perspectives about computation. They can unlock numerous transformative capabilities in different industries, including logistics, energy, and pharmaceuticals.

However, two things must happen to unlock these possibilities – scaling the number of physical qubits and reducing quantum computing errors.

Error Prone Pathways

There are several technological pathways for creating qubits in quantum computing. These pathways include trapped ion qubits, superconducting qubits, neutral atom qubits, and photonic qubits, among others. The common thing about each of these pathways is vulnerability to errors.

These errors can result from technical and physical challenges that include control, thermal noise, and external electromagnetic interference. Errors lead to the loss of quantum states in qubits. This affects the reliability and performance of quantum computers. The best quantum computers perform hundreds of operations before getting overwhelmed by errors.

But to ensure that quantum computers solve real problems, the number of operations needs to increase to billions and trillions of error-free operations. Quantum Error Correction technology is needed to bridge this gap – and Riverlane is providing this solution.

“In the same way that GPUs were needed to scale up AI workloads, so error-correction chips are needed to scale up quantum computers,” Steve Brierley, founder and CEO of Riverlane said.

Adding Redundancy

Quantum error correction technology works by adding redundancy. This ensures that if any qubits fails, the system does not stop but keeps working.

The technology achieves this by forming abstract logical qubits from a bigger pool of physical qubits. This makes it possible to detect and rectify errors without interfering with encoded information.

Riverlane’s quantum computing error-correction chip and software are pathway agnostic. They operate with any quantum computing approach available.

Market Positioning

Riverlane’s quantum computing market positioning is that of a technology supplier to a wide range of tech companies. This positioning has convinced tech investors to support the Cambridge startup that was founded in 2016. Brierley says investors now have a good understanding of quantum computing.

“When I founded the company the question was, ‘What is quantum computing? Why should I be interested?’ This narrative and understanding have really progressed. Now, people have a very clear understanding of the importance of quantum error correction and that it is the central next phase of quantum computing,” he said.

Riverlane will use the latest funding to scale its research and development capabilities and develop new products.

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Rocket to customer support success with AI copilots

About Freshworks Inc.

Freshworks Inc. (NASDAQ: FRSH) makes it easy for companies to delight their customers and their employees. Our AI-powered customer and employee-service solutions increase efficiency and improve engagement for companies of all sizes. The result is happier customers and more productive employees. Headquartered in San Mateo, California, Freshworks operates around the world to serve more than 67,000 customers, including American Express, Bridgestone, Databricks, Fila, Nucor and Sony. For the latest company news, visit www.freshworks.com and follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, and X

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In a post shared on his X account, Musk said, “Tesla will have genuinely useful humanoid robots in low production for Tesla internal use next year and, hopefully, high production for other companies in 2026.”

Reuters reported that in April, Musk had said its humanoid robot, Tesla Optimus would perform tasks in the company by the end of 2023 and could be available in the market by the end of next year. In 2023, Tesla unveiled a new generation of humanoid robot, Optimus Gen 2.

Rich Background

For several years now, leading companies in Japan have developed humanoid robots. These companies include Hyundai and Honda Motors. Businesses are increasingly betting on internal humanoid robots to bridge labor shortages and perform tedious dangerous tasks or repetitive in nature. Such tasks include warehousing, logistics, and manufacturing.

Tesla launched Optimus in September 2022. At the time, it was named Bumblebee. This year, the electric vehicle maker shared a video of its humanoid robot, Tesla Optimus Gen 2 bipedal robot performing a task – folding a T-shirt within Tesla’s facility.

In recent months, Musk has pivoted Tesla’s focus on autonomous driving software, artificial intelligence, robotaxis, and humanoid robots amidst dropping demand for electric vehicles. Electric vehicles contribute over 80% of Tesla’s revenue.

Unfulfilled Promises

Even as Musk says Tesla will have humanoid robots for internal use in 2025, the announcement comes in the backdrop of unfulfilled investor promises. In 2019, the EV manufacturer CEO told investors that his company will be operating autonomous cars by 2020.

This didn’t happen. Earlier this year, Musk said Tesla would launch robotaxis in August. Last week, Musk said this will take longer following critical design changes that he has requested to the front part of the design.
Tesla is set to release its quarter two earnings today. It’s earning will help investors to understand what Musk and EV company are doing to restore growth following reporting the biggest revenue drop since 2012 in quarter one of this year.

Investor Focus

Institutional investors are more focused on the health of Tesla’s motor vehicle margins. Their attention is also on Tesla’s operating costs after the EV maker implemented layoffs, price cuts, and other incentives to boost EV sales.

Retail investors expect Musk to explain Tesla’s progress in self-driving technology and provide answers to the delayed unveiling of its dedicated robotaxi, CyberCab. Investors will want to know more about Tesla’s outlook of the battery energy storage business and its near-term priorities. They also expect to get an update of the status of the new factory that the EV company promised to set up in Monterrey, Mexico.

On Monday, Tesla shares were up 1%. Analysts expect Tesla to announce a 62 cent per share earnings adjustment on its $24.77 billion revenue for the period ended June 30.

The post Inside Tesla’s New Plan to Have Humanoid Robots in 2025 appeared first on Tech Research Online.

Although Oxford Ionics didn’t provide the exact numbers, the University of Oxford spin-off firm said it used ten times less qubits than its competitors. The startup’s innovation set a new performance record for one and two-qubit gate operations.

Leveraging Ion-Trapped Qubits

Qubits are the basic quantum data storage units. They are made through varying systems that demonstrate quantum mechanical properties.

Oxford Ionics uses ion-trapped qubits. These are atoms that are made by removing one electron. Though ion-trapped qubits present progress towards fault-tolerant quantum computing, their scalability is limited. This is because they’re controlled through laser pulses, which increases error rates during scaling.

Oxford Ionics says it has embedded an Electronic Qubit Control (EQC) system in its quantum chip double performance power chips to fix this problem. This enables it to combine quantum performance of individual atoms with the reliability and scalability of silicon chip electronics.

Dr Chris Balance, Oxford Ionics CEO and Co-Founder said, “The industry’s biggest players have taken different paths towards the goal of making quantum computing a reality. From the outset, we have taken a ‘rocket ship’ approach — focusing on building robust technology by solving the really difficult challenges first.”

The Quantum Evolution

Quantum computing represents the next computing frontier where computers rapidly generate results by utilizing information that takes the ordinary computers years to process.

In recent years, Quantum technologies have evolved tremendously. There has been gradual accumulation of developments in these technologies from different sources. Although it’s still early to tell which advancements will be pivotal, a lot of these developments will be vital in moving quantum computing into the utility era.

Currently, private companies and research institutions are in a race to develop the first usable quantum computer. Quantum bits can only be used in highly specialized conditions. Quantum researchers must find simple ways of processing qubits to mainstream the technology.

Founded in 2019, the UK quantum chip startup says it’s on track to achieve the targets on its road map.

“We are now able to focus on the commercialisation of our technology and delivering useful quantum computing at scale,” the CEO said.

Oxford Ionics hopes that utility quantum computers will be available in three years’ time.
Recently, the deeptech startup won a $7.79 million contract to supply Quartet, a full-stack quantum computer to the National Quantum Computer Center (NQCC) in the UK. This will be the fifth quantum computer that the startup makes. The other four are physically located in its Oxford headquarters. They are accessible via the cloud.

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Your Guide to Gen AI

Rocket to customer
support success with
AI copilots

Learn how AI copilots can boost agent efficiency to take your customer support to new heights 

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A press release published on BusinessWire shows that Freeflow Ventures raised $35 million through Fund Two, $25 million through Fund One, and $15 million through Opportunity Fund. The firm raised $15 million through special-purpose ventures.

The venture capital firm invests Freeflow equity funding in science-driven innovations that address planetary and human challenges. 

Rich Background 

Freeflow was established in the Caltech area of Pasadena, California in 2020. Since then, the venture capital firm has invested in 30 companies. It was founded by leading global scientists including three Chemistry and Physiology Nobel Laureates. 

In recent years, the venture capital market has experienced challenges. But even in the face of the challenges, Freeflow has grown its fundraising twice, from Fund One to Fund Two.  

Additionally, the venture capital firm launched an investment into Catena Bio recently. This is the first  Freeflow deeptech investment that the company is making in startups within the Berkeley ecosystem. 

Catena Bio is pioneering the next-generation Antibody Drug Conjugate (ADC) technology. The technology comes with a novel conjugation that facilitates varying payload capabilities in cancer treatment. These capabilities can improve patient outcomes significantly.  Catena Bio’s co-founder and CEO, Marco Lobba previously worked on the technology that underlies the ADC approach. At the time, he was taking his PhD at the University of California, Berkeley. Catena Bio is a member of the Bakar BioEngenuity Hub at the University. 

DeepTech in Berkeley

Breakthrough science and deepTech innovation are prominent in Berkeley. The two share similarities across Pasadena. From its inception, Freeflow Ventures funding has laid a strong investment foundation in Caltech. Now, the venture capital firm is looking to bring its tested ecosystem-based operating model to Berkeley. For Freeflow, this move is set to attract deals from two globally recognized scientific communities. 

“This new funding enables us to expand our model to Berkeley, an important addition to our operating model because it shares so many similarities to Caltech and JPL where amazing founders working on large-scale solutions to important problems continue to create high-quality investment opportunities. These two communities align very well with our focused thesis on human and planetary health,” Freeflow Ventures Founder and Managing Partner,  David Fleck said.

The post Freeflow Ventures Funding Targets US-Based DeepTech Startups appeared first on Tech Research Online.

The Metaverse presents new possibilities for businesses of all sizes. From changing the way people work to creating valuable virtual economies, this emerging technology is quickly redefining the way people interact with the world around them and reshaping the way businesses operate. Current statistics show the future of the metaverse is bright with rising demand projected in the coming years. Bloomberg estimates the metaverse economy will generate $800 billion by 2025 and a whopping $2.5 million by the year 2030.

The Metaverse combines Extended Reality (EX) technologies to create an immersive, interconnected 3D virtual environment where augmented reality, blockchain, virtual reality, and cryptocurrencies define the way people work, live, and socialize. In this article, we discuss what the future of the metaverse holds for businesses and explore the impact this technology will have on work.

What Is Metaverse?

The Metaverse refers to a blockchain-based network that connects numerous virtual spaces to give participants a digital experience that has never been seen before. It uses tech-infused elements to mirror the real world in virtual environments. Metaverse blockchain leverages augmented reality, virtual reality, and artificial intelligence to provide unmatched experiences in simulated virtual spaces. This ecosystem allows users to exchange, interact, trade, and work through digital avatars. Since blockchain underlies the core setup of metaverse systems, they are independent of device reliance and central control.

Why Is Metaverse Technology Important for Businesses?

Metaverse platforms have the potential to redefine the way people connect, work, and live, making it extremely important for businesses. The ability to eliminate geographical barriers allows this technology to facilitate unprecedented levels of connectivity and collaboration for businesses across the globe. Companies can leverage global talent and remote socialization to spur economic growth. Below are four ways companies can utilize the metaverse to achieve their goals:

1. Collaboration

The metaverse provides businesses with greater collaboration capabilities to support remote work. Employees who work from different geographic locations can leverage engagement features and communication tools to collaborate seamlessly in real time. Most platforms that offer immersive technologies provide interoperability for tools that companies use daily to facilitate seamless remote team collaboration.

2. Cost Reduction

Facebook metaverse lowers costs for businesses by eliminating the need to invest in multiple physical assets required for in-person working spaces. The technology offers limitless customization abilities, allowing companies to create the space they need without incurring additional costs. For instance, employees can create shared spaces and virtual offices at no extra cost.

3. Product Prototyping

Another critical role that metaverse technology plays in business is making prototyping easier and faster. Designing and producing physical prototypes can be costly for businesses, posing a challenge for small and medium-sized companies. AR and VR technologies allow designers to collaborate in creating and manipulating virtual prototypes based on specifications from any location.

4. Flexible Workplaces

Businesses can utilize the metaverse to inject flexibility into their workplaces. Working in metaverse environments can give companies an edge over competitors that are not embracing the change in today’s evolving digital landscape. Businesses of all sizes can use AI metaverse to transcend barriers of employee interaction to expand their reach and awareness through virtual events.

How Will Metaverse Change the Future of Work?

The future of metaverse technology will impact the way people work in the coming years. Below are five ways the technology will change the way people work:

1. Fewer Accidents in Workplaces

For people who perform dangerous tasks like electricians and machine operators, metaverse glasses will help to reduce accidents. Through virtual reality platforms, employees can practice using virtual tools or machines as many times as they need to without experiencing physical injury. Trainers will be able to assess their performance and provide the guidance employees need virtually.

2. Employee Onboarding

The future of the metaverse will enable businesses to reimagine employee onboarding experiences. Instead of requiring new employees to read documents or watch videos about company history, new employees will be able to visit job sites or meet corporate founders virtually. Metaverse headsets will also enable newly hired employees to connect socially with new teams.

3. Employee Learning/Training

The metaverse will be used to improve employee training and learning. By facilitating simulations and interactive gameplays, this virtual technology will make it possible for companies to provide ‘hands-on’ training to employees, enabling them to operate machines or practice sales presentations for big clients virtually.

4. Operational Assessments

Another way the future of metaverse will change the future of work is by making it easier for managers and executives to assess operations, solve problems for employees in different locations, and simulate changes. They will use the technology to make virtual visits to distribution centers, factories, and construction sites in different cities or countries without leaving their desks.

5. Employee Interactions

Increasingly, employees are working from different locations. The physical separation makes it challenging for teams to feel like they’re in the same room. This causes them to miss out on communication, morale, engagement, and cultural benefits that come with physical interactions at the workplace. The metaverse makes it possible for companies to provide socially satisfying experiences to their staff by bringing individuals in different locations into one virtual room.

Conclusion:

Metaverse presents new possibilities for businesses to thrive. As the digital landscape evolves, companies can leverage the metaverse technology to engage remote employees, manage daily communication, enhance collaboration, and boost productivity. Virtual environments promise to deliver the most immersive experiences for employees. As the number of companies that adopt this technology increases, the future of the metaverse can only get brighter.

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The role of AI in customer success is the future of optimizing client relationships and support strategies. Many top businesses like Google, Amazon, and IBM have embraced artificial intelligence to improve customer experience. Artificial intelligence promises endless possibilities with the automation of mundane tasks and personalizing customer interactions now becoming a reality. This article explores how AI is transforming customer success, current applications of AI, and challenges experienced with its implementation.

Evaluating the Recent Developments of Customer Success

Customer success has immensely developed from a reactive business function that anticipates customer challenges to a proactive one. The initial concept of customer success was addressing customer complaints or questions, providing solutions, and the best escalation management practices.

However, the gradual development of the digital technology space and innovative AI-powered tools have changed that. AI in customer success has shifted the focus to analyzing customer behaviors for better relationships and reducing customer churn. This new ideology requires predictive techniques and the availability of more data to revolutionize customer success.

What are the Roles of AI in Customer Success?

1. Real-time Data Insights and Reporting

Transforming into a proactive customer success team is only possible with access to real-time data. The behavioral patterns of clients are dynamic and making the best decisions requires timely knowledge for accurate predictive analysis.

Machine Learning and Deep Learning are two significant AI frameworks that make this possible. While Machine Learning sets up AI algorithms to analyze data and patterns, Deep Learning uses artificial neural networks to simulate human processing methods. This contribution of AI to customer success greatly empowers teams to learn customer behaviors, improve customer engagement, and identify potential issues.

2. Personalized Customer Relationships

The access to real-time data helps with the predictive analysis necessary to establish personalized customer interactive frameworks. AI in customer success helps support teams observe purchase habits and user interactions, enhance productive communications, and proffer relevant recommendations to clients. It reduces the chances of dissatisfied clients since customer service teams can predict the best actions through available data and previous interactions. Further integrations of AI can help teams stay proactive and mitigate churn risks.

3. Improve Customer Training and Onboarding Strategies

Customer onboarding and training is an important function for every business that continually aims to develop. While customer success feedback helps to identify potential areas for improvement, artificial intelligence can play a critical role.

Introducing AI to customer success teams assesses client interactions with your organization and identifies performance gaps. Besides suggesting necessary knowledge materials, AI virtual assistants can ease online training in the workplace. Customer onboarding becomes faster and focuses on important knowledge.

4. Measure and Optimize Customer Lifetime Value (CLV)

Customer lifetime value (CLV) refers to the total profit a business expects to earn from a customer throughout their time with them. The role of AI in customer success is to effectively measure and analyze CLVs through assessment metrics such as their purchase frequency, gross margin, and average purchasing period.

Customer success teams can utilize the reports to observe the long-term value that current customers enjoy and optimize business decision-making relating to targeted marketing, customer service, and achieving higher customer retention rates.

5. Automated Customer Support and Chatbots

The contribution of AI to customer success has been tremendous in improving the virtual support systems of organizations. Automated AI-powered assistants now manage the majority of customer queries with a 24/7 accessible service. This integration of AI in customer success is excellent for escalation management. By mimicking previous customers’ data and personal interactions, AI reduces response time, quickly resolves complaints, and allows human support agents to focus on more demanding tasks.

Applications of AI in Customer Success

1. Google

The Try-on feature by Google illustrates how AI is transforming customer success. Despite the variety that online shopping provides over physical stores, many buyers struggle with picking their correct sizes. We see people return a product because they ordered one that did not fit.

With the innovative Try-on feature, Google uses AI to improve customer success. It is an augmented reality that allows buyers to try out a desired purchase item on a selected online model. The artificial intelligence feature captures the product and wears it on the model. With just a smartphone or AR glasses, customer satisfaction is improved.

2. Amazon

A major contribution of AI to customer success is simplifying the buyer’s experience and immediate access to solutions. Amazon is doing amazingly well through its AI chatbots functioning as virtual sales agents. Customers can now make seamless purchases on Amazon without waiting in long customer support queues for replies to urgent inquiries. The AI customer service provides personalized recommendations and assists with tracking purchases and providing delivery time updates.

3. AirHelp

Enhanced productivity by improving focus on more complex tasks is one benefit of AI in customer success management at AirHelp. The travel company uses AI chatbots to improve customer satisfaction by diverting queries to relevant agents. It is an applaudable strategy to ensure that no customer support channel is overwhelmed while confirming each agent only replies to a related issue.

Challenges of Implementing AI in Customer Success Teams

1. Data Privacy and Ethical Considerations

Achieving an ethical balance between consumer data privacy and the role of AI is a significant concern for customer success teams. Businesses integrating AI must ensure a transparent system that reassures customers of responsible use of their personal data. These include enacting strict data security policies and letting customers have some control over their shared information. Trust is important for long-lasting customer relationships.

2. Gaps in Skill Sets of Customer Success Teams

Knowledge gaps are another challenge of integrating AI in customer success teams. Transforming your customer success experience from a reactive approach to a proactive one takes time. It’s the same with bridging the technical gap in your workplace.

A good suggestion is starting with smaller but easy-to-understand contributions of AI to customer success. An example is using AI chatbots to improve customer engagement. Management should also encourage a contributive learning approach and cross-communication between technical and non-technical professionals.

Conclusion:

AI in customer success remains pivotal for businesses to stay ahead, especially in a digitally driven age. Artificial intelligence has the potential to predict customer behaviors, personalize business-customer relationships, automate support options, correctly value clients, and optimize internal training and onboarding.

The post AI in Customer Success: Transforming Client Relationships and Support appeared first on Tech Research Online.

Extraordinary Investors

The C12 funding round was led by Varsity Capital, EIC Fund, and Verve Ventures. The new funding brings the total amount raised by C12 to about €30 million. The quantum computing startup raised €9 million in 2021.

Varsity Founding Partner, Didier Valet said, “We are proud to lead the new C12 round with a clear objective of building a large-scale, fault-tolerant quantum computer to strengthen France’s position as a leading force in the quantum space.”

C12 designs and produces quantum processors. The deeptech startup is focused on shaping the future of quantum computing in France and globally.

“I am very happy to have prestigious investors on board to speed up our development. I am proud that C12 can count on an extraordinary team. Our ambition is the same as day one- to become one of the quantum computing leaders of tomorrow,” C12’s CEO and Co-Founder, Pierre Desjardins said.

The company plans to use the processors to build large-scale quantum computers.

The Proqcima Program

C12 has been selected to take part in the Proqcima program. The program was launched by the French Ministry of the Armed Forces in March 2024. The purpose of the program is to design two prototypes of C12 universal quantum computers by 2032.

“Our goal is to demonstrate long-distance entanglement between 2 qubits. This entanglement is at the heart of the quantum leap that will one day allow us to compute in a few seconds, what today takes several years. This long-distance 2Q gate is therefore a major step forward in quantum technology,” C12 Co-Founder and CT, Matthieu Desjardins said.

Qubits are tiny particles in quantum processors that carry quantum information.

Proof of Concept

C12 has demonstrated that its single spin qubit architecture can reduce the noise that affects qubit quality. In 2023, the startup inaugurated its first quantum processor, Quantum Fab, in Paris. The startup has several production workshops. It also has a cleanroom for its semiconductor chips. The Quantum Fab pilot line will enable it to manufacture its initial quantum products.

360 Capital Partner, Nader Sabbaghian said, “Much like silicon laid the foundation for modern digital computing in the 1950s, we believe carbon holds the key to unleashing the extraordinary potential of quantum computing. We are immensely proud of C12’s pioneering achievements and are committed to supporting their efforts to turn quantum computing into a tangible reality.”

Stiff Competition

Many startups are building fully-fledged quantum computers in Europe. In France, C12 quantum computing is competing with Quandela, Pascal, and Alice & Bob. Its competitors have attracted better funding.

The companies use different qubits to differentiate themselves in the market. Pascal uses neutral atoms while Alice & Bob uses electrons. C12 uses spin qubits and Quandela uses photons.

Quantum computers are still in the infancy stage. Scientists expect them to unlock high computational power. They can solve complex problems that conventional computers can’t, which presents huge benefits for businesses.

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NOYB took action after discovering that Meta plans to use private images, personal posts, and online tracking data collected since 2007 for Meta’s AI tech.

GDPR Violation

NOYB says the Meta undefined AI tech can collect personal data from any source. It can share any information with third parties.

“Meta is basically saying that it can use ‘any data from any source for any purpose and make it available to anyone in the world’, as long as it’s done via ‘AI technology’. This is clearly the opposite of GDPR compliance,” NOYB founder, Max Schrems, said in a statement.

The privacy group also claims that Meta seems to be hiding behind AI to cover up for future violations. The company plans to collect user information without their consent. This goes against the law. Once user data lands in Meta’s system, users may never be able to remove it.

“Meta doesn’t say what it will use the data for, so it could either be a simple chatbot, extremely aggressive personalized advertising or even a killer drone. Meta also says that user data can be made available to any ‘third party’ — which means anyone in the world,” Schrems added.

Meta’s privacy policy changes will take effect on June 26. NOYB wants 11 national privacy watchdogs to act fast and stop Meta’s abuse of personal data.

‘Big Farce’ Claim

Meta has termed NOYB’s claims a farce. The tech giant argues that its interest in using personal data is legitimate. Referring to a blog posted on May 22, Meta says it uses digital and licensed information available publicly to train

But, a quick message to Facebook users. It shows that Meta could still collect data. They could collect it from people who don’t use its services or products. Also, the company can collect data from people who don’t have Facebook accounts. They can do this if the people feature in images or are mentioned in captions, or in posts shared by users.

Meta’s Spokesperson said, “We are confident that our approach complies with privacy laws, and our approach is consistent with how other tech companies are developing and improving their AI experiences in Europe (including Google and Open AI).”

The recent Meta hit EU Compliant has escalated a long-standing feud between Meta and NOYB.

Not the First Time

This is not the first time NOYB has taken on the big tech over with the Meta privacy complaints. Previously, Schrems filed cases that brought down two cross-border data transfer agreements between the EU and the US.

He has been scrutinizing data harvesting activities by Meta. The tech giant has already accumulated 2.5 billion Euros in fines for violating GDPR provisions.

“The European Court of Justice (CJEU) has already made it clear that Meta has no ‘legitimate interest’ to override users’ right to data protection when it comes to advertising,” he said.

He noted that Meta is posing a similar argument in the EU Compliant Undefined AI tech situation. NOYB will be filing Meta privacy complaints in each EU member state.

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