Day: December 14, 2019

SAS enhanced its easy-to-use artificial intelligence (AI) solutions to help organizations improve efficiency and quickly realize value with automation. The updated SAS® Platform delivers new functionality including automated data management, automated machine learning and cutting-edge interpretability features, underscoring SAS’ commitment to making AI more transparent and accessible for all. Available in the fourth quarter of 2019, the newest release of SAS® Viya® on the SAS Platform offers the latest AI and advanced analytics techniques, accessible to both data scientists and business users. The enhancements provide an intelligent process to automate many of the manual and complex steps required for data transformations and to build machine learning models. SAS automates the analytics life cycle – from data wrangling to feature engineering and algorithm selection – in a single click. To further democratize AI solutions, the automated modeling process uses a REST API. This helps developers customize business applications while using SAS analytics. Additionally, users can easily embed open source code and augment their analysis with SAS, providing a truly open experience. Machine learning is also used to recommend data transformations to reduce data preparation time. UK Insurance provider Admiral fights fraud with AI Fraudulent claims and applications are a major problem for the UK insurance industry, with both insurers and genuine customers paying the price through increased premiums. According to Cifas, the UK’s leading fraud-prevention service, false insurance claims rose by 27% in 2018 from the previous year, with auto/ motor seeing a 45% increase. Admiral, a UK-based insurance company, has developed fraud portals that eliminate the need for manual referrals, saving significant time and resources while detecting more fraud than ever before. Fraud investigators and analysts now work from a single centralized hub, sharing data across the organization and applying sophisticated analytics to detect and prevent fraud. This approach has delivered more than £31 million of benefit in the last 12 months alone, including £6 million in savings for claims fraud. “We used an insurance fraud analytical engine from SAS to apply multiple techniques – including automated business rules, machine learning, artificial intelligence, text mining, database searches, anomaly detection and network-link analysis – to automatically score claims, associated entities and any corresponding social networks,” explained Sarah Lang, Head of Business Analytics at Admiral, “This process has allowed us to build a strong relationship between analytics and claims fraud. A continuous feedback loop ensures we continue to update the process, identifying fraud in more cases in a faster way, whilst improving our customers’ experience.” Industry disruption powered by AI I talian startup Yolo is disrupting the insurance industry with help from SAS AI solutions. The company’s digital insurance platform provides on-demand access to policies for travel, products, health and pets. Fueled by SAS machine learning, Yolo’s Platform can customize a temporary insurance policy offer to a customer without lag time. “As a digitally native company, our customer’s experience is paramount,” said Gianluca De Cobelli, Co-founder and CEO of Yolo Group, “With SAS, our Platform is able to process a customer’s request to insure their vacation or their smartphone using all available data in real time, allowing our financial institution and corporate partners to provide their clients with a customized and dynamic mobile experience.” A continued partnership with IBM For the first time, the November release of SAS Viya will run on the IBM POWER9 chip architecture. This will support all SAS Viya functionalities including GPU acceleration for machine learning, deep learning, and AI training and inferencing. In addition, this expands the flexibility to run SAS workloads in any cloud platform. “SAS and IBM have collaborated for more than 40 years. We’ve solved some of the most complex algorithmic challenges together. IBM Power Systems offer value to mutual customers whose business challenges demand not only SAS analytics, but also high data throughput,” said Ken Gahagan, Senior Director of Compute Services for Research & Development at SAS. The future in AI: Growth and opportunity “ SAS continues to innovate in AI, building on the $1 billion investment in AI we announced earlier this year,” said Saurabh Gupta, Director of Advanced Analytics & Artificial Intelligence at SAS, “SAS delivers AI that helps users manage, understand and analyze the data they have and make better, faster decisions with it. The latest enhancements to our AI offerings focus on automating the many manual and complex steps required to build machine learning models.” The investment will focus on current and future R&D and expert services to build on successful AI efforts like that of Admiral and Yolo over three years. It will also include SAS education initiatives that address customer and partner needs to better understand and benefit from AI. In 2018, SAS experienced 105% growth in AI revenue – a rate three times faster than the overall market – according to a recent IDC report on AI software platform market share.  

Verint® Systems Inc., the Customer Engagement Company™, in partnership with Inspiro Relia, Inc. (Inspiro), have optimised the quality of RCBC Bankard’s call centre operations with the implementation of Verint’s innovative voice biometrics solution, part of its identity authentication and fraud detection (IAFD) offering. The combination gives the organization high-level expertise and automated technology to help reduce costs and improve the overall customer experience. RCBC Bankard Services Corporation, the credit card arm of Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation (RCBC), one of the largest universal banks in Philippines, collaborated with Verint on a landmark upgrade of their voice recording and biometrics systems. Verint voice biometrics recognises the unique vocal characteristics of enrolled customers seconds into a live call, helping to reduce the number of security questions and average handle times. This faster authentication can reduce contact centre costs, help eliminate the need for security questions, and can provide an overall improved customer experience. “The implementation of voice biometrics improves our workflow and increases the security behind every single call. This is at a time when credit card fraud has become more prevalent,” said Simon Calasanz, RCBC Bankard President and CEO who believes that the rollout of the solution was well timed, “Our service delivery is of utmost importance to our customers, and we are pleased to say that the upgrade to the system was executed to the highest degree. The Verint and Inspiro teams were well orchestrated and operations continued smoothly behind the scenes. Following the deployment, we expect a decrease in the number of security questions, and we will have the ability to provide assistance more quickly, with a reduction in average handle time.” Commenting on the successful partnership and project outcomes, Manish Shah, Vice President of Verint’s Southeast Asia operations said, “Understanding the RCBC Bankard’s needs and a strong collaborative partnership with Inspiro were key to a seamless transformation of RCBC Bankard’s back office operations. RCBC Bankard wanted to push the envelope with new modernised and automated technology that would help them deliver higher quality customer service. Our local support capability and our voice biometrics technology was the winning combination that led to the successful execution and delivery of this project.” “Advanced voice biometrics is a positive disruption for our industry, and we are seeing greater adoption across the financial services industry,” Mr. Shah added, “We look forward to working closely with our local partners to ensure they’re providing the best customer service experience possible with best-fit solutions.” Mark Mistal, Inspiro’s Chief Information Officer added, “Verint’s capabilities within the contact centre space are well-established, and their best-in-class voice biometrics system delivers tangible enhancements to every single call and in real time.” Inspiro supports the customer engagement requirements of leading brands in the Philippines. Mistal continued, “As the customer service quality in the call centres gets a new boost through technological advances, we see great value in our continued partnership with Verint.”  

Ministry of Movement Pte. Ltd. (SWAT), a startup providing on-demand bus services in Singapore, Australia and Vietnam, and NEC Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd. (NEC), a wholly owned subsidiary of NEC Corporation, recently announced a partnership that will pool together their respective expertise and technologies to transform urban mobility and address social challenges posed by city developments. As part of this partnership, the companies jointly launched ‘Ally,’ an app offering AI-based personalized road planning functions coupled with an on-demand bus booking service. The app was available during the Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) World Congress recently taken place at Suntec Singapore Convention and Exhibition Centre. During a four-day trial, congress delegates and members of the public who downloaded and created their profiles on the Ally app were able to experience on-demand bus rides for free within a geofenced area extending from Dhoby Ghaut to the Marina Bay Sands area and parts of the central business district. Combining SWAT’s dynamic bus routing algorithm with NEC’s personalization engine supported by machine learning technologies, Ally made recommendations on potential places of interest including malls, retail shops, restaurants and other attractions based on data points such as the user’s interest(s), profile, location and time. Once the user selects their destination, the app generates an optimized route in real-time and automatically assigns a bus servicing the area to the rider. In addition to cost savings, Ally allowed users, particularly visitors from overseas, the ability to explore lesser-known areas more efficiently and encourage the use of more environmentally-friendly modes of transportation. Jarrold Ong, CEO and Co-founder, Ministry of Movement said, “With our advanced routing technology, we are always on the lookout for ways we can transform the mobility and transport space. We see relevance in being able to book a ride and discovering local attractions on the same platform, and NEC’s expertise in AI and their local market insights were key to this partnership.” “NEC has been actively working with startups to explore innovative solutions to transform markets and create new social value,” said Lim Kok Quee, Managing Director, NEC Asia Pacific, “We see great potential in this partnership with SWAT. Intelligent on-demand bus services can play a key role in building a more sustainable urban transportation system by optimizing the number of vehicles on the road to reduce the environmental impact and ease traffic congestion. We will continue to explore ways to harness technology and improve the society we live, play and work in.”  

The Dallas Police Department, Safer Dallas and Motorola Solutions recently launched a six-month pilot program, the Starlight Program, that will facilitate collaboration between the police department and local businesses. Participating businesses will be outfitted with Avigilon cameras, blue lights and program signage, and will be actively monitored by, and connected directly to, the Dallas Police Department’s Real-Time Crime Center (RTCC) using Motorola Solution’s CommandCentral Aware software. By connecting these cameras to the RTCC, officers will gain additional insights when responding to events, be able to resolve incidents faster and return officers to the street in a timely manner. The Starlight program is open to businesses throughout the city. The pilot program will launch at three locations that have experienced a high volume of calls for police services: 7-Eleven at 2911 East Ledbetter Road in District 4. Dallas Police Integrate Avigilon Video Cameras & CommandCentral Aware Software to Inform Officer Responses and Increase Efficiency The Dallas Police Department, Safer Dallas and Motorola Solutions launch Pilot Program to increase community and officer safety 7-Eleven at 2503 Lemmon Avenue in District 14. Ferguson Food Mart and Texaco Gas Station at 11770 Ferguson Road in District 9. “This is an exciting time for the Dallas Police Department and our partners, Safer Dallas and Motorola Solutions,” said Reneé Hall, Chief of Police for the Dallas Police Department, “The technology fosters faster decision-making with real-time situational awareness. The ultimate goal is to protect the public while making first responders more effective by providing much-needed information before they even arrive on the scene.” “We have seen great success in a variety of communities in using technology, like our integrated software and video security solutions, to create a tighter connection between public and private entities and further our shared mission of improving public safety,” said Neil Thomas, Vice President of Motorola Solutions’ Sales and Services Organization, “We’re proud to launch this new pilot program with the Dallas Police and Safer Dallas to help connect the Dallas community to public safety.” The pilot program was launched on Oct. 28 and is expected to run for six months. After the initial pilot phase, the three organizations will evaluate the impact of the program and explore further expansion. The mission of Safer Dallas Better Dallas is to protect the citizens of Dallas from becoming victims of crime and engage them in a partnership with the Dallas Police, to support the efforts of Dallas police officers and to make Dallas America’s safest big city. Safer Dallas Better Dallas works to accomplish its goals by raising money from Dallas foundations, businesses and citizens to purchase equipment for Dallas police officers, help fund the department’s priorities, and by helping educate elected leaders on changes that will help reduce the crime rate in Dallas.