Scott Petty’s Post

It was a pleasure to speak at the #TMForum’s #DTW24-Ignite conference about how #AI is transforming our industry.   I covered four key points.   First – Common cases for AI. These include improving the customer experience, better network planning and response to issues, and supporting employees by, for example, generating code.   Second – Prepare for AI. Create a data strategy and an investment case. Start with pilot projects and ensure seamless integration with existing systems and processes. And most importantly, implement ethical guidelines and monitor AI performance and outcomes.   Third – Partnerships. Work with hyperscalers to gain access to the latest AI tech, improve cost efficiency, focus on core business functions, and accelerate innovation, all while ensuring robust security and compliance.   Fourth – Balance the risk of being too early vs too late. Thoroughly evaluate pilot programs, collaborate, and share experiences with partners.   Ultimately AI must meet our purpose, which is to connect people securely, safely and with their privacy as a priority.   https://www.tmforum.org/  

Across Vodafone, we are investing in programmes to transform the customer experience.   This includes using real-time AI models to understand what our customers need and translating that insight into detailed action plans in all our markets.   We’re also developing new frontline tools which are benefitting 70,000 Vodafone employees. Right now, we’re perfecting our SuperAgent.   Using #GenAI, SuperAgent is helping our customer care team break-free from repetitive tasks so that they have more time to help customers with complex queries or multiple questions.   We’re also using GenAI to super-charge TOBi, our existing virtual assistant which serves customers in 13 countries using 15 different languages.   Initial tests of SuperTOBi show a 50% improvement in resolving customer issues first-time.   The results are encouraging and through partnerships such as the one we have with Microsoft, we are on track to deliver highly personalised and differentiated customer experiences across multiple channels.   You can read and watch more via the link below.   https://lnkd.in/gMYt_7cY  

This year will be about experimenting with Generative AI. In three years’, it will have transformed many industries, including ours.   It is one of the topics that I recently had the pleasure to discuss with @Silvia Candiani @Microsoft’s Worldwide Vice President of Telco & Media on the first episode of a new podcast series, “Candid Communications with Silvia Candiani”.   During the podcast, I shared insights on how we are testing many Gen AI applications. I also explained the clear governance guidelines we have in place and described how we are democratising AI tools across the company so that the IT department doesn’t become a bottleneck for creativity and productivity.   This approach is helping our 14,000 software engineers improve code, empowering our contact centre employees to become subject experts (with the emphasis on quality, not on average call handling times) and leading to the development of new products.   The key to Gen AI is the quality and reliability of the data sources. Without these, Large Language Models (LLMs) are starved. We have one of the world’s largest secure and dedicated data oceans to feed hundreds on new use cases for Gen AI. It is also about asking the right questions – we now have ‘prompt engineers’ who are skilled at getting the best from LLMs.   These are some of the areas Silvia and I cover. You can listen to the conversation on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, watch the video on YouTube, and find more information here:https://lnkd.in/djpZFTYq   #AI #Telco #Vodafone #Microsoft  

Today, we announced the creation of new jobs and the expansion of advanced digital services in Ireland as part of an additional €35 million investment in the country. We’ll be adding new managed software, cloud, and cyber security products to the business support services we already offer. Our goal is to be the main trusted partner for all companies, both small and large. Ireland already performs well on the EU’s Digital Economy and Society Index, and we want to ensure its future credentials are just as strong. https://lnkd.in/dd5J3D2B

Vodafone will be attending the biggest technology communications and connectivity event - Mobile World Congress 📱📶🛰️ Want to know more about what's in store? Check out all the latest tech news of what we can expect to see at #MWC24 ⤵️

I’m delighted to announce a new, far-reaching strategic partnership with Microsoft.   This is a significant commitment by both parties. The main points are:   - Collaborating to transform the customer experience using Microsoft’s generative AI. - Growing our enterprise business with new Microsoft services, particularly for SMEs. - Scaling our new standalone IoT business with Microsoft. - Expanding M-Pesa to improve financial inclusion across Africa. - And underpinning all of these, we will accelerate the capabilities of our cloud-native infrastructure using Microsoft Azure.   Today is just the start. I look forward to building on our partnership with Microsoft.   You can read our joint announcement via the link below.   https://lnkd.in/dEaS6tmU  

Proud to share that Vodafone has won the PwC UK Building Public Trust Award for Cyber Reporting in the FTSE350, for the third year running!

It was great to participate in Tomorrow Street’s Scale Up X 2023 event. The joint venture between Vodafone and Luxembourg’s national technology incubator, Technoport, Tomorrow Street accelerates leading-edge technology by partnering with innovative companies and helping them connect with and grow across Vodafone’s global ecosystem. We recognise the importance of working with these scaleups on tomorrow’s breakthrough technologies to improve digital services for our customers and for society. There was a great buzz among more than 20 businesses from across the world attending the event. Many of the exciting solutions on show would fit within our wider portfolio, and I cannot wait to continue the conversations in the months ahead.

As leaders in Artificial Intelligence meet for the AI Safety Summit, it’s important to underline the need for responsible regulation. Vodafone has used AI for years and it is now embedded in 120 different functions across the company. This work is guided by our ethical AI framework. As with any disruptive tech, there are upsides and downsides. I hope the summit focusses on the immediate risks of AI, like fraud and disinformation, while creating an environment for innovation to thrive. We should learn from our collective mistakes regarding social media platforms (hate speech, cyberbullying), and focus on the real and immediate risks of AI, and the routes to finding effective mitigations. The ideal outcome of this meeting would be to achieve consensus on how best to collaborate. We need to work together to shape future regulation, development, and adoption of AI in ways that truly benefit society – not in ways that threaten it. You can read our views in depth via the link below. https://lnkd.in/ejtsRUqu