Artificial intelligence and its ability to relate to people, regulation, ethics and impersonalization. Irene Gómez, director of Telefónica Aura, talks about all this. Want to know more?
Talk about artificial intelligence (IA) it scares some and fills others with enthusiasm. It is a present reality, and the vision for its future divides experts almost equally. There are those who are more reckless about its power and who understand it as part of the change of society towards the future. One opinion the latter shares Irene Gomez, director of Aura, the virtual assistant from Telefónica.
His current position in the Spanish company is preceded by extensive training in the world of technology. Geoffrey, degree in Telecommunications, Security and Telematics Engineering, has an experience of more than ten years in the technology sector, which gives him a broad perspective to analyze the future of artificial intelligence in particular, and Aura, in particular.
2025, the year of the AI explosion
It has been a few years since he entered our lives in a silent way, and we are increasingly aware of his presence. But we are still “in the beginning” of this path, in which Irene Gómez sets 2025 as the horizon for the ultimate explosion of artificial intelligence. The arrival of 5G will be one of the main drivers of this situation. ” 5G is an accelerator applied to the capabilities of AI in the Internet of Things (IoT) environment, ” says Irene Gómez, citing examples such as the connected car or smartcities.
He also acknowledges having thought about the “impersonalization of people” in the current digital transformation, and citing the latest demonstration of artificial intelligence Google asks “to what extent we are prepared as individuals to allow this circumstance to happen”” A reflection on which he is optimistic, given that”it is technology that proliferates depending on the use we make of it”. People still play a”key ” role in this change, and they will be the ones who decide ” what happens and what doesn’t”.
A global ethical and legal exercise
As part of people’s lives, these technologies must be in line with two major areas: ethics and legality. And from here, “society must make a responsible and ethical use of the information provided by artificial intelligence, through the data that add value”” “More and more, we will see how this debate is introduced into the political discourse”, says Irene Gomez.
And is that, while at the national level is working on the creation of the White Paper, an ethical code that will study the social, legal and ethical implications of the use of new technologies, as artificial intelligence; from the European Union is also preparing an ethical guide to regulate how to proceed with them.
A piece of news, that of the community institution, that the director of Aura welcomes with open arms as she understands that the creation of regulatory frameworks in this sense must be presented as a globalized exercise. ” It is important that it is treated from a global point of view, since the use of the data is also global, ” says Gómez.
But ethical regulation must not come alone, and legality must also come into being. And is that, the speed with which technological advances occur has accelerated the production of certain social changes for which there is no legal regulation yet.
A framework where Irene Gómez demands the need to be aware of the pace that exists with the regulations and laws that accompany technology. ” The way to solve these aspects should be accelerated so as not to be late with the application of the law that accompanies technology”, and to solve it, Irene demand faster from both society and government.
Describes the ability to advance as one of the qualities of the human being, and understands that in the future world let the change happenbut, of course, with common sense.
Society, increasingly prepared for this technology
Is society ready for this change? It is true that the presence of artificial intelligence seems unstoppable but its relationship with us has not been as close as it will be in the coming years. ” This 2018 we are seeing how AI is applied in the relationship with people, ” says Irene Gómez, who puts special emphasis on the rise of virtual assistants.
For Aura’s Director, this bringing AI closer to its application in society it will change from here on, bringing with it a series of advancements in many facets and environments of life.
Telefónica, a company that has taken the lead
Advances where Telefónica has taken the initiative and the lead. The Spanish company “has positioned itself at the forefront in the field of telecommunications on this issue”, says Irene Gómez, also recognizing that there is still much to do: “Small steps necessary to continue opening our way”.
For the moment, “we have planted to grow more exponentially, and not for small projects”, decisions that will accelerate and propel the company to the environment of the future. And is that, there is no doubt that Telefónica’s investment has been a key commitment to the creation of projects as Aura, ” the icing on the cake of the company to many years of effort and digital transformation”.
Aura, a new model of customer relationship
Thus, as a perfect end point, Irene Gómez defines Telefónica’s artificial intelligence. “We want Aura to be there where our customers need it”says its director, after confessing how was the approach of his birth. “We found that we had information from our customers, but how do we value all that data for the benefit of our relationship with users?”The answer is simple: Aura.
“Aura’s goal is to create a new model of relationship with our customers”, which is based on three large legs: to make it technology that understands peopleand not on the contrary (understanding); to be a point of contact between customers and company; and make the client feel special in their treatment with Aura (personalization)”. And for this, it will evolve little by little with new benefits and depending on the needs of each country.
This digital assistant is already present in Spain, Germany, United Kingdom, Argentina, Brazil and Chile, and it will incorporate new use cases, as active listening, where they will go including predictive suggestions depending on each user. For example, it will be possible to know what the best rate is based on expenses.
” Data gives wealth to the user”, has been, in short, the idea that has driven the birth of Aura, built, as its director affirms, thanks to the legacy of Telefónica. ”A relationship of the future where this virtual assistant still has a long horizon ahead.”
