This is AI

Whilst AI is often associated with digital pioneers - the Amazons and Ubers of the world - it's starting to grab the attention of companies in regulated industries and the bodies who govern them.  In this short episode, Jon is joined by special guest Claire Forbes, Senior Director of Corporate Communications at Ofwat, to hear about the role of regulators in the context of innovation and disruptive technologies.

In this episode, Jon shares the highlights of his annual trip to South by Southwest. Now in its 31st year, the Austin, Texas-based conference was attended by over 400,000 people. Find out what you missed from the event! In the news, Jon and Gary look at the latest AI innovations from tech giants, the Cambridge Analytica scandal, and more. Episode guide: 00:00 News roundup and nefarious use of AI | 16:50 SXSW highlights (main topic)

Could you go about your everyday life without Artificial Intelligence? Probably not. Jon and Gary take a look at the many AI-driven experiences we unknowingly engage with – from transportation and online news, through to financial services. In the news, we look at the latest developments with voice assistants, Microsoft and LinkedIn, a perhaps unlikely partnership for Google Deepmind, and a small victory for humans delivering customer service. Episode guide: 00:00 News roundup | 14:00: Nefarious use of AI | 21:00: AI in plain sight (main topic)

Jon and Gary explore the immense possibilities of hyper-personalisation for brands who harness AI and get it right, breaking through the dark cloud of data and delivering that one-to-one experience most of us crave. With any early innovation, possibilities however never come without risks. Imagine if Amazon not only knew what to recommend, but the password to the smart lock on your home and controlled your driverless car, or worse? In the news, Gary’s tells us about his trip to Ignite, Microsoft’s Annual Pilgrimage and explores how countries are beginning to explore legislation that could see robots as their own entity http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/estonia-robots-artificial-intelligence-ai-legal-recognition-law-disputes-government-plan-a7992071.html JS: https://www.geekwire.com/2017/amazon-microsoft-announce-gluon-neural-network-technology-teaming-machine-learning/ https://www.ft.com/content/5ec7093c-6e06-11e7-b9c7-15af748b60d0?mhq5j=e6 http://www.wired.co.uk/article/piccadilly-circus-new-massive-advertising-screen

Episode 2 sees Gary and Jon explore the latest news, including how AI is starting to raise ethical issues and change the way we view the world. Part two of the podcast focuses on how the financial services industry is being reshaped. Machine learning, amongst other significant technology developments, is changing the world of financial services, from gender neutral chatbots, to Capital One's chatbot that understand's the world fastest growing language 'Emoji' ... Follow the show on twitter @This_is_AI Links to sources mentioned in the show: www.mando.agency www.bima.co.uk https://messenger.fb.com/blog/messenger-platform-2-1-brings-new-tools-to-enrich-conversations/ https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/sep/07/new-artificial-intelligence-can-tell-whether-youre-gay-or-straight-from-a-photograph https://venturebeat.com/2017/08/31/alexa-and-cortanas-marriage-brings-risks-and-rewards-for-amazon-and-microsoft/ http://uk.businessinsider.com/amazon-alexa-wearable-devices-2017-9?r=US&IR=T https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2017/08/germany-has-developed-a-set-of-ethical-guidelines-for-self-driving-cars http://www.smh.com.au/business/banking-and-finance/nabs-virtual-banker-chatbots-to-save-millions-20170901-gy8pn3.html https://aitrends.com/bots/juniper-research-chatbots-a-game-changer-for-banking-healthcare-saving-8-billion-annually-by/ https://aitrends.com/financial-services/test/

Gary and Jon explore the latest news in AI. In the first of this series, they cover chatbots; the confusion between bots and AI and the potentials and pitfalls of releasing them on customers.