That’s where problems can stem from, too: most organisations use many different applications, and too many everyday tasks involve editing and moving data from application to application. Software automation can’t easily be achieved because every company’s workflow is unique and draws on data from specific sources.

Of course, there’s always the option to create software from scratch designed to automate workflows, but that’s typically slow and expensive to undertake. Off-the-shelf automation solutions also have the effect of carving into stone the company’s processes – something that goes against the need for fast adaptability and flexibility in dynamic business markets.

Source: Shutterstock

A low-code automation solution offers any organisation a way through the impasse. It allows individual line-of-business experts to create the efficient systems needed to do their work more effectively and offer customers the experiences they demand.

Answering the data questions

At the core of the modern business are the troves of information that grow daily as the company operates. In most cases, data gets stored in discrete silos defined by the software applications used in the different parts of the business (and it’s worth noting that each business function might use a single common application in very different ways).

Half the battle in automation is locating, adapting, and amalgamating information from different sources to be used in joined-up workflows. At a low level, software platforms can communicate with one another and exchange data via APIs (application programming interfaces), but negotiating APIs is usually done at the level of software code, which is not a skill in most people’s wheelhouses. API connections are also fragile due to their tendency to break when one of the platforms they belong to is updated or patched.

It’s essential, therefore, that any low-code automation platform can auto-negotiate with the low-level interfaces that each application presents, creating a reliable connection between each instance of siloed data. By doing so, the automation platform creates an up-to-date resource for its users of a unified data fabric.

Sewing with the data fabric

The technology buzzphrase of the last 18 months has been AI, which is highly relevant here but needs breaking down in this context. Platforms like ChatGPT work off public data, which has been ingested over many months. What’s much more useful in a business setting is to give an AI access to the organisation’s private data so the algorithms can produce answers that are relevant to business operations. The same dedicated algorithms will learn the company’s workflows too, and be able to suggest connections and optimisations to human operators to speed up the process of building automations.

Source: Shutterstock

Even without the help of an in-house AI, the presentation of a data fabric offers so-called ‘citizen automators’ the full choice of information available to them from even the furthest reaches of the business’s data resources.

Armed with this and tools to build automated processes, the people at the coal face can create optimised workflows that benefit them, their organisation, and the organisation’s users or customers.

Messages from the coal face

“Using low-code, businesses can deploy solutions 10 to 20 times faster than traditional coding methods,” Luke Thomas told us. He’s the Area Vice President, Asia Pacific & Japan, at Appian, a company whose low-code automation platform is transforming how private companies and public institutions run their organisations.

The public sector is, of course, particularly sensitive to data regulation and security. Appian’s platform carefully trains its AIs with built-in guardrails that protect information from being used in the wrong contexts. It’s possible, therefore, to have a line-of-business expert build an application (or series of automations) that can access a large system like a company-wide ERP but only be able to see and use data appropriate to the task and within preset constraints.

The benefits of automating workflows become quickly apparent, especially when news of the efficiency gains spreads through the organisation. “A recent partnership we’re really proud of is working with the Office of Public Prosecutions in Victoria on a new case management system that is expected to save around 66,000 hours per year through process automation,” Mr Thomas said.

It’s often in the customer-facing applications that process automation can differentiate one business from another. Lenders’ mortgage insurance company Helia automated its claims management workflows with the Appian AI Process Platform and reduced claim processing time from two days to less than 10 minutes. The dramatic improvement in customer experience gave the company a market advantage and massively reduced its internal costs for each claim.

And while the buzz around artificial intelligence continues in the mainstream media, it’s in the data sets that AI works with that will likely change how organisations work. “I’d suggest that the real value in AI will eventually lie with those who own unique and original data, not necessarily those who create AI technologies,” Mr Thomas told us. Because work processes and data resources are specific to each organisation, using a dedicated AI has the potential to drive efficiency and thereby reduce cost, as well as create the kind of agility that safeguards a business’s future.

Head over to the company’s site to learn more about low-code automation and the Appian AI Process Platform.

The post Empowering Automation with Private AI appeared first on Tech Wire Asia.

The higher the ad viewability score, the more improved the campaign performance report will be, heightening the demand for the ad inventory. One of the industry’s best practices to maximize viewability. This is an imperative for both publishers and advertisers, is to capitalize on ad formats that will hold the viewer’s attention.

From a publisher’s perspective, optimizing viewable impressions for advertisers is crucial to bolster their confidence in online spending. Using the MRC definition of ad viewability, a study by Google concluded that viewable display ads across the Google Display Network had a 4X higher lift in conversions than display ads that didn’t meet the MRC standard.

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Disrupting the traditional ‘billboard’ format with tech

As technology continues to evolve in this space, Bonzai, The Creative Automation Platform trusted by publishers, agencies, and advertisers, today announces the launch of its latest offering—Fillboard, a premium digital ad format that can help advertisers capture and hold user attention without disturbing the experience of the site content. The new format also enhances viewability and user experience (UX) for ads served across desktop, tablet, and mobile devices.

The Bonzai team took a deep dive into ad format innovation, intent on surfacing a solution to the challenge that every publisher must tackle. Following the launch of Fillboard in H1 of 2024, there is now great excitement to see how publishers adopt this new ad format, which can positively influence ad revenues.

Ad Viewability with Bonzai (Source – Bonzai)

Innovation already snapped up by The Guardian

Ash Tanwar, Head of Ad Operations at The Guardian comments, “Our long-standing partnership with Bonzai has played a pivotal role in shaping our vision for a product geared towards enhancing ad effectiveness. Close collaboration with the team has culminated in an ad format that ensures heightened viewability for our readers, thanks to its ingenious cross-screen experience. With initial testing already proving to have promising results, this new product in market will undoubtedly excite our advertisers.”

Rahul Pandey, Founder and CEO at Bonzai

Rahul Pandey, Founder and CEO at Bonzai, highlighted the pivotal role of user attention in digital advertising. He said, “With a keen understanding of how the slightest boost in user attention can bring significant gains in ad awareness, Bonzai Fillboard was designed with care. We are offering a solution that helps avoid outdated intrusive methods, prioritizing contextual advertising that aligns with user intent. Moving away from formats that interrupt, cover site content or don’t work across devices, advertisers can now utilize Fillboard, a fresh way to connect with all their audiences and stand out in the crowded digital landscape.”

Bonzai Fillboard comes just months after the launch of their BrandStory,  another innovative, disruptive ad format with triple the ad space and 2.8 times greater time-in-view than single scroll ad formats. These innovative products are addressing the surging demand from brands worldwide, looking to drive real results from their advertising spend.

Headquartered in Singapore, Bonzai has been making significant strides across APAC, serving virtually every major publisher and thousands of advertisers with its ad-tech products. Bonzai can boast of partnering with multiple iconic brands from Westfield to Mercedes-Benz. Even the relatively smaller regional businesses have harnessed Bonzai’s display ad solutions to become more productive and agile in generating creative content and winning customers with relevant digital marketing.

Find out more about Bonzai Fillboard here.

About Bonzai:

Since its inception in 2013, Bonzai—The Creative Automation Platform has proven to be a pioneer cloud-based SaaS platform for automated production and programmatic management of digital display ad creatives. The self-serve platform has empowered media owners, brands, and designers to drive efficient and effective digital ad campaigns of high-quality standards with innovative ad-tech products.

Bonzai’s comprehensive solutions have simplified and streamlined the end-to-end display ad production process, from design to deployment, delivering brand engagement experiences at scale.

Having achieved benchmark success across APAC, Bonzai has established itself as the trusted ad automation partner for a wide range of clients, including renowned media companies such as NewsCorp, The Guardian, Stuff and Car Advice, and several direct-to-consumer brands.

Headquartered in Singapore, Bonzai also operates offices in key global locations, including Sydney, Australia and Pune, India.

Partner with Bonzai now, visit www.bonzai.co.

The post How Bonzai is disrupting the digital ad landscape with rapid innovation appeared first on Tech Wire Asia.

At both events, BMC executives, including Chief Executive Officer Ayman Sayed, Chief Technology Officer Ram Chakravarti, Chief Product Officer Ali Siddiqui, and Chief Revenue Officer Paul Cant, discussed the vision, strategy and innovation of Connected Digital Ops. The events also explored how BMC’s portfolio, which includes BMC Helix (generative AI service management solutions and AIOps), BMC AMI (on-premises, hybrid and cloud mainframe solutions), and Control-M (application workflow orchestration on-premises and in the cloud), are continuously innovating to prime enterprises for a digital-first future as an Autonomous Digital Enterprise.

Analyst insights

In Melbourne, IDC VP Linus Lai delivered a keynote about the evolving world of enterprise technology and what we need to know to stay ahead of disruption and capitalise on opportunity. At BMC Singapore, Sandra Ng, Group Vice President and General Manager at IDC, shared her thoughts on what technology and business leaders should expect and prioritise in 2024 as we embark on a new leg of the digital business era.

Throughout the day in Melbourne and Singapore, there were panels featuring relatable, local customer use cases focused on:

• AI, GPT, and machine learning for service management excellence.
• Mainframe modernisation and resiliency with AIOps capabilities and cloud integration.
• Operationalising data and AI at lightning speed for better decision-making.

Source; BMC Software

Breakout sessions

In the afternoon, attendees had the opportunity to follow their interests with specialist tracks including exciting and engaging sessions on:

Innovation and resilience from mainframe to the Edge (Melbourne): This session explored strategies to enable growth and market-leading differentiation through cutting-edge technologies, optimising processes, modern developer tools, and enhanced observability.

Modernise your data management: Connecting the mainframe to the hybrid cloud (Singapore): During this session, attendees learned how to reimagine the way they manage and protect mainframe data by leveraging private, public, and hybrid clouds to modernise core infrastructure, protect against cyber threats, unlock business intelligence and analytics, and support new cases for data reuse.

Improving ServiceOps efficiency with generative AI (Singapore and Melbourne): This session revealed how BMC uses generative AI and large language model (LLM) technology to improve service and operations management outcomes, enhance the self-service experience, and accelerate problem resolution.

The next step in your DataOps journey (Singapore and Melbourne): How Control-M and other BMC innovations help companies use orchestration, a fundamental principle in DataOps, to get data projects into production faster and run them at scale to make better and quicker business decisions with a clear ROI.

Future-ready innovation with your mainframe (Singapore and Melbourne): This session explored how the power of seamless collaboration, cutting-edge AI-driven operations, and the hybrid cloud can deliver unmatched speed and agility, helping organisations unlock the full potential of their mainframe while also embracing innovation, protecting their assets, and driving business growth.

AI-driven service and operations management (Singapore and Melbourne): BMC experts shared how BMC Helix leads cloud-native, software-as-a-service (SaaS)-delivered enterprise solutions that give customers speed and personalised experiences and organisations operational rigour, proactive problem resolution, and innovation to grow.

Future-proofing through automation and orchestration (Singapore and Melbourne): This session shared the strategic and future direction for Control-M and BMC Helix Control-M helping IT operations teams enable competitive advantage and innovate securely and within a scalable application and data workflow orchestration framework.

Inspired talks

Outside the world of enterprise technology, the events included inspirational speakers sharing insights about how they achieved personal success and overcame adversity. At BMC Connect Melbourne, celebrated Australian Olympian Jana Pittman discussed her personal story of perseverance as she became an elite athlete and pursued a post-sporting career change to medicine. The BMC Singapore crowd was enthralled by five-time Paralympics gold medalist and President’s Award recipient Yip Pin Xiu, who relayed her trailblazing story about breaking boundaries as a para-athlete and a powerful voice for diversity, equality, and inclusion (DEI).

A defining element of the series was the immersive Experience Zone, where attendees could take part in product and solution demonstrations from BMC partners and event sponsors like Deploy Partners, Vyom Labs, Jitterbit, and Kinsfolk. BMC was thrilled to debut its defining BMC Connect Ops demos too, where participants could see concrete examples of each Ops discipline at work in specific industry use cases, and understand how those disciplines interrelate to ensure an optimised technology infrastructure for today’s digital business.

BMC also shone a spotlight on its Green IT initiative. This solution helps businesses understand their current carbon footprint and how to predict, model, and track goals around its reduction. The Global Command Centre was also showcased, demonstrating BMC IT’s recent achievements, such as the successful implementation of AIOps applications that have transformed infrastructure oversight and applications across four global data centres. Notably, the command centre operations are efficiently handled by only two dedicated engineers working in shifts.

The team also presented BMC Helix Dashboards, sparking additional interest and discussions among attendees around the complexities and innovations shaping modern IT operations.

Source; BMC Software

BMC Connect 2024

BMC Connect Melbourne and Singapore were rousing successes, giving BMC customers informative and impactful insights plus connections with analysts, and BMC and industry experts. BMC is already at work planning 2024’s BMC Connect event series, so bookmark the BMC Connect Hub for future updates.

If you attended one of this year’s events, the Connect Hub is also where you can watch a curated collection of keynotes and presentations from both cities and other locations worldwide. BMC plans to release additional content from the series on its main website early 2024, and will release more information on dates and venues for next year’s highly anticipated events

The post BMC evangelizes data and AI at BMC Connect in Melbourne and Singapore appeared first on Tech Wire Asia.

AMD has unveiled its latest processors to redefine the driving experience in a groundbreaking stride toward the future of automotive technology. AT CES 2024, the US chip giant took the stage to introduce the Versal AI Edge XA adaptive system-on-chip (SoC) and the Ryzen Embedded V2000A Series processor, expanding its prowess in the realm of automotive applications.  

The devices, showcased at the annual trade show, are designed to serve critical automotive segments, including infotainment, advanced driver safety, and autonomous driving. The Versal AI Edge XA adaptive SoCs add an advanced AI engine, enhancing their adaptability for a wide range of next-generation advanced automotive systems and applications. These applications encompass forward cameras, in-cabin monitoring, LiDAR, 4D radar, surround-view, automated parking, and autonomous driving. 

Notably, Versal AI Edge XA adaptive SoCs represent AMD’s inaugural 7nm device to achieve automotive qualification, introducing robust intellectual property and heightened security features to automotive applications where safety is paramount. Then there are the Ryzen Embedded V2000A Series processors fueling the evolution of the next-generation automotive digital cockpit. According to AMD, the processors drive performance across various elements, from the infotainment console to the digital cluster and passenger displays. 

The extended presence of the AMD Ryzen Embedded V2000A Series marks the introduction of the initial x86 auto-qualified processor family. This advancement ensures that consumers can now experience the familiar PC-like interface they enjoy at home seamlessly integrated into their in-vehicle entertainment, providing an on-the-go entertainment experience.

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“Our expanding automotive portfolio presents a significant opportunity to serve this high-growth market while also underscoring the synergy of our combined automotive teams since the acquisition of Xilinx almost two years ago,” said Salil Raje, senior VP and GM, adaptive and embedded computing group, AMD.

AMD keynote at #CES2024 in 7 minutes pic.twitter.com/LLvu36foMq

— Engadget (@engadget) January 8, 2024

What can Versal AI Edge XA by AMD do for AI engines?

Imagine Versal AI Edge XA adaptive SoCs as super-smart brains with particular engines for doing new things with AI. These ‘brains’ will handle AI tasks related to computer processing, vision, and signals. They’re good at understanding a lot of information quickly and can also work in different devices like car sensors, such as LiDARs, radars, and cameras. 

A research director at ABI Research, James Hodgson, says, “In the future, automakers will use autonomous vehicle applications to shape their brand identities. With these applications relying heavily on AI, automakers need compute platforms that deliver powerful and efficient AI computing.”

That said, the Versal AI Edge XA can make sense of data and make decisions either in a central control unit or in the devices themselves. The cool part is that these ‘brains,’ equipped with AI engines, can tackle various AI tasks, like recognizing objects and tracking features. Depending on the complexity of the task, the Versal AI Edge XA comes in different sizes, ranging from smaller ones with 20k LUTs to bigger ones with 521k LUTs. 

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They also vary in speed, from 5 TOPs to super-fast 171 TOPs. And here’s the magic trick – designers can use the same tools and methods to make smart gadgets using these brains. These “brains” aren’t just smart, they’re also safe and secure. They are designed to ensure everything runs smoothly and securely, especially in advanced automotive designs. The first batch of Versal AI Edge XA is set to hit the market in early 2024, with more versions planned to come out later in the year.

Hodgson also believes that the number of highly automated vehicles shipping each year is set to grow at a CAGR of 41% between 2024 and 2030, signaling a healthy growth opportunity for suppliers of heterogeneous SoCs with powerful and efficient AI compute, including the AMD Versal AI Edge XA.”

New Versal AI Edge XA adaptive SoCs and Ryzen Embedded V2000A Series processors underscore AMD leadership for powering next-generation automotive systems. Source: AMD.

Upping the ante for consumers’ in-vehicle experiences with AMD Ryzen Embedded V2000A

Picture your car as a futuristic entertainment hub on wheels, thanks to the AMD Ryzen Embedded V2000A Series processor. You know how gadgets keep getting cooler and more connected. That’s happening inside the vehicles these days, too. AMD came up with a super-advanced processor that delivers entertainment, connectivity, and safety all in one.

This AMD Ryzen Embedded V2000A, built using the 7nm process and featuring ‘Zen 2’ cores and AMD Radeon Vega 7 graphics “delivers high-definition graphics, with enhanced security features and automotive software enablement through hypervisors in addition to support for automotive grade Linux and Android automotive,” AMD noted.

The Embedded V2000A Series processor acts as the brain of a digital cockpit, promising the best visuals and connected experiences while cruising. Companies like Ecarx are already using it to power their advanced car solutions, and it’s expected to be the key to next-gen digital cockpit solutions in 2024 and beyond.

The post AMD revolutionizes auto tech: unveiling next-gen AI engines at CES 2024 appeared first on Tech Wire Asia.

In the ‘Digitisation in Construction Report 2023’, published by the UK’s Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), only 12 and 18 percent of construction professionals said they used digital technologies on all or most of their projects, respectively. However, according to Usman Shuja, the CEO of building solutions software company Bluebeam, attitudes are changing.

He told Tech Wire Asia: “The construction industry has been a laggard, but macro events such as inflation, labor shortages, and sustainability pressures have accelerated significantly. We are seeing the construction-related digital and software markets growing at a lot higher rate than the construction industry now.” The global construction management software market’s value is expected to reach $16.6 billion by 2028. “Digital solutions have also demonstrated value in the industry, so there is acceptance to adopting them,” Mr Shuja added. “Additionally, we see more digitization in off-field work, so there is higher adoption in companies’ offices.”

The top technology buzzword of 2023 has to be AI, and no industry is exempt from its impact, including AECO, which is gradually embracing its potential for innovation and efficiency.

“Accelerated digitization will pave a path for AI,” said Mr Shuja. “Especially generative AI, which has the potential to add creativity, reduce rework, and increase compliance. I am particularly excited about how generative AI, when combined with machine learning and computer vision, can impact the industry’s productivity.”

Source: Shutterstock

Some tangible examples of how generative AI can be used in the AECO industry include streamlining the design process by rapidly generating multiple design options based on defined parameters. It also helps in optimizing structural configurations for maximum efficiency, and predicting potential maintenance issues through analysis of complex datasets. Despite the potential, introducing a new tool to an owner or senior manager of an AECO company that would involve some kind of operational change can understandably be met with hesitation. After all, there is always an element of risk involved in altering workflow, even with the promise of efficiency and innovation.

Mr Shuja said: “My explanation to them is that they will be able to do more projects, with reduced rework and in a shorter timeframe. Additionally, they will enjoy the benefits of compliance and better planning. This should result in more revenue, higher profits, or more leisure time.”

Bluebeam is already a leading provider of digital PDF management software specifically tailored for the AECO industry. It aims to facilitate collaboration, streamline workflows, and enhance productivity throughout the various construction phases. However, in the near future, it plans to take its solution’s capabilities a step further by introducing AI.

Mr Shuja said: “Bluebeam will apply AI pragmatically to help our users be more productive and solve everyday challenges faster and more effectively. For example, Revu users will soon be able to use AI to automate the tedious, error-prone task of aligning multiple drawings to compare the differences. This one task alone can take dozens of clicks and up to two minutes. Plus, our customers currently use that feature around five million times a year. With the feature upgrades and AI integration, we will save them time each time they use it by making it less clicks so it takes as little as 15 seconds.

“The main thing that differentiates our approach to AI is that we are creating our new features in conjunction with our customers and to address challenges they have brought to us over the years. Bluebeam has always been focused on our customers’ challenges, and the implementation of AI into our solutions doesn’t change that.”

Bluebeam stands out from other AECO software companies because of its commitment to providing users with ongoing training and support. Customized education sessions ensure the customer uses the product to its full potential.

“Bluebeam has been helping AECO companies transform and do more digitally for more than 20 years, and we will continue doing that,” Mr Shuja said.

“We continue to improve Revu’s core capabilities and value proposition of digital markups, measurements, and collaboration, and we continue to develop our Bluebeam Cloud solution so our users can do their work anywhere on the web and mobile. AI is really just one way—albeit a particularly exciting way—that we will deliver new capabilities to help our customers take it to the next level.”

Source: Shutterstock

Alongside efficiency benefits, AECO companies can use digital tools like Bluebeam’s to meet their sustainability goals. According to the United Nations 2022 Global Status Report for Buildings and Construction, the buildings and construction sector accounted for around 37 percent of energy and process-related carbon dioxide emissions and over 34 percent of global energy demand in 2021. There is a growing urgency to decarbonize the sector, particularly since scientists have determined that 2023 will be the warmest year on record thanks to human emissions. Over half of respondents to the RICS survey agreed that digitization could help them achieve their net-zero goals. Simulation and analysis tools can track key metrics such as energy consumption and emissions throughout projects and the structures built. This data can inform decision-making regarding materials, design choices, and construction methods for reduced environmental impact.

Mr Shuja said: “Digitization will play a significant role in decarbonization. One of our clients mentioned that Bluebeam has eliminated printing paper completely, which they believe is equivalent to several thousand trees. Digitization is going to play a pivotal role in reducing rework and waste, which will improve the industry’s sustainability posture significantly.”

AI-driven efficiency and sustainability benefits will revolutionize the AECO industry through resource optimization, streamlined workflows, and reduced environmental impact, to name just a few benefits. Discover how embracing digitization could futureproof your business by trying Bluebeam for free today.

The post How AI could change the architecture, engineering, and construction industry – if given a chance appeared first on Tech Wire Asia.

In Malaysia, the cybersecurity landscape is undergoing a significant shift as organizations grapple with a surge in cyberthreats. According to a new survey by IDC on the state of security operations (SecOps) in the Asia-Pacific region, phishing emerges as the predominant concern, with 54% of organizations ranking it as their top threat. The top five hazards in Malaysia include ransomware, unpatched vulnerabilities, identity theft, and attacks targeting the internet of things (IoT). 

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Particularly alarming is the doubling of ransomware incidents across the country, with over 50% of organizations experiencing a two-fold increase in 2023 compared to the previous year. Discussing the data from the SecOps report, Fortinet (which commissioned the report) delved into the evolving threat landscape, highlighting key findings and shedding light on the escalating challenges Malaysian organizations face in cybersecurity.

The survey sheds light on the current state of SecOps by emphasizing the crucial roles played by AI and automation. “Phishing and malware are the primary attack vectors. Other significant vectors include SQL injection, insider threats, and IOT vulnerabilities,” the report reads.

The survey also reveals critical insights into cybersecurity challenges, emphasizing the impact of remote work on insider threats. For instance, 88% of respondents attribute the rise in insider threat incidents to the shift to remote work, citing factors such as insufficient training, lack of employee care, and inadequate communication. 

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The report adds that only 38% of businesses allocate dedicated IT resources for security teams, intensifying the difficulties in reinforcing security measures. The impact of emerging technologies, including hybrid work, AI, and IT/OT system convergence, poses substantial challenges, with cloud technology adoption identified as a primary hurdle affecting organizational vulnerability to cyber threats.

At a briefing in Kuala Lumpur on November 13, 2023, Fortinet’s vice president of marketing & communications, Asia and ANZ, Rashish Pandey, claiimed that in the ever-evolving threat landscape, more organizations are grappling with a spectrum of cyberthreats targeting their digital assets. He therefore recommends (as, in fairness, you’d expect him to) Fortinet’s security operations solutions, underpinned by advanced AI, which addresses the pressing need for automation and provides a comprehensive strategy for incident detection and response. 

“These include a one-hour average time to detect and contain threats, an 11-minute investigation and remediation average, a 597% ROI, doubling of team productivity, and a substantial US$1.39 million reduction in expected breach costs,” Pandey promised.

The cybersecurity in Malaysia: alert fatigue, time constraints, and skill development struggles

Cybersecurity in Malaysia. Source: Bing Image Creator

Regarding threat containment and preparedness, 48% of organizations in Malaysia feel underequipped, emphasizing the urgent need to bolster cybersecurity capabilities. Alarmingly, 75% of organizations neglect regular risk assessments, hindering timely threat detection. The survey also reveals that over 50% of enterprises grapple with alert fatigue, facing an average of 221 incidents daily. 

“Two out of five enterprises grapple with over 500 incidents daily, leading to alert fatigue. The top two alerts faced are suspicious emails (phishing) and malware or virus detections, highlighting the imperative for targeted training on phishing awareness. Additionally, suspicious user behavior, account lockouts, and multiple failed login attempts contribute to alert fatigue,” the report reads.

Workload pressures are evident, with just one SecOps professional for every 230 employees, allowing approximately 10 minutes per alert within an 8-hour workday.

The persistent challenge of false positives, where 62% of alerts are noted as such, underscores the demand for automation. To navigate the dynamic cyberthreat landscape, skills development proves challenging for 98% of respondents, emphasizing the need for evolving skill sets, particularly in automation, multi-tasking, and critical thinking.

Fortinet Malaysia’s country manager, Dickson Woo, says that 70.7% of organizations prioritize faster threat detection through automation in the ever-evolving cybersecurity landscape. “At Fortinet, we recognize the imperative of swift detection and response as the cornerstone of an enhanced cybersecurity posture. Automation plays a crucial role in promptly identifying and responding to cyberthreats, minimizing the window of vulnerability,” he said.

Data breaches, phishing campaigns and more mark Malaysia’s cybersecurity record.

He also explained that customers’ experiences underscore this urgency, with a transformative reduction from an average of 21 days to just one hour for detection, driven by AI and advanced analytics. “This signifies a fundamental step in fortifying cybersecurity defenses, where time to detect and respond is paramount. In this context, automation emerges as the linchpin in navigating the challenges of today’s dynamic threat landscape,” Woo concluded.

According to Fortinet, the upside is the adoption of automation and orchestration tools, which has reached a significant milestone, with 92% of organizations recognizing their value in fortifying cybersecurity strategies.

However, the survey unveils untapped potential and areas for improvement in fully harnessing these technologies. While productivity gains are evident, with 89% of respondents experiencing a substantial 25% improvement in incident detection times through automation, the focus now shifts to plans and optimization. 

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Strikingly, 100% of Malaysian organizations who were surveyed intend to implement automation and orchestration tools within the next 12 months – thoguh that figure might be skewed by the fact the survey was commissioned by an automation tool company. The strategic approach emphasizes a focus on streamlining response triage, accelerating incident containment, and minimizing recovery time as critical areas for optimization, reflecting a proactive stance in enhancing cybersecurity frameworks.

The cyberthreat makeup in Malaysia is swinging more behind phishing.

The post Malaysia faces cyberthreat surge: phishing dominates, ransomware doubles appeared first on Tech Wire Asia.

The transport and logistics industry is the fundamental cog that holds society together. From the food on your plate to the impulse-buy online purchase, without the transport and logistics industry, nothing works.

The industry was heavily disrupted during the pandemic, but investments in technology, perhaps perversely, did not slow down. In fact, most transport and logistic companies started looking to automate their operations.

In fact, according to a report by Gartner, with an estimated revenue of US$20.24 billion in 2022, supply chain management (SCM) is the fastest-growing market sector. Over half of businesses have adopted logistics and SCM software in the past two years to remain competitive in the rapidly changing market.

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Without transport and logistics, the supply chain would cease to function and businesses would end up facing huge losses. Given the need to meet customer demand and improve efficiency in the industry, AI and automation, in particular, are becoming essential.

For Sockalingam Muthiah, head of professional services, Asia Pacific at HERE Technologies, 2024 promises to be a pivotal chapter in the evolving landscape of the automotive and transport & logistics industries. The speed at which technological advancements are transforming the way people and goods move is, he believes, nothing short of astonishing.

Sockalingam Muthiah, head of professional services, Asia Pacific at HERE Technologies.

Muthiah holds that the Asia Pacific region boasts remarkable diversity and each of its sub-regions is grappling with its own distinctive challenges. Speaking to Tech Wire Asia, Muthiah dispelled the notion of generalized trends and explored the nuanced and distinct dynamics shaping the automotive and logistics industries of this multifaceted region.

“Yet, amidst this diversity, one thing remains certain: these trends collectively hold the power to redefine our relationship with mobility, transportation and logistics in the year to come,” he said.

Making or breaking the vehicle with software

Autonomous and electric vehicles are now considered “software-defined entities,” where innovation is driven not by raw engine power, but by lines of code and advanced algorithms. A recent report has projected the global software-defined vehicle (SDV) market to grow by a CAGR of 9.1% between 2023 and 2028, to about US$419.7 billion in five years.

“Technologies such as Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) and highly automated driving solutions have become intrinsic to the driving experience. ADAS enhances safety, providing drivers with features like lane-keeping assistance and adaptive cruise control. It also powers automated driving. Beyond safety, automated driving requires a high-precision map that offers connectivity, which will open doors to a host of services, apps, and updates that can be delivered over the air.

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“Major automotive original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) have taken steps to accelerate the move to SDVs. For instance, Hyundai Motor Company and Kia Corporation are set to form the Hyundai Motor Group Model-Based Development (MBD) Consortium to accelerate the SDV transition through standardization and an open development ecosystem,” explained Muthiah.

He believes that in the pursuit of a better connected driving experience, the allure of these software advancements entices consumers with more than raw horsepower. By 2024, he predicts, software will make or break a vehicle’s success and will be a core business model for automotive manufacturers.

AI in transportation and logistics to make a difference in 2024. (Image generated by AI)

Reshaping the relationship with personal vehicle ownership

Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) is set to gain more ground in 2024. MaaS is about recognizing transportation is not confined to a single mode or a solitary means of getting from A to B. For Muthiah, it’s an acknowledgment that the modern commuter values flexibility and variety, seeking the most efficient, cost-effective, and sustainable means of travel for each journey.

“From car-sharing and carpooling to rental cars and shared bicycles, the scope of MaaS is expanding, offering commuters greater flexibility and efficiency without the burdens of ownership. Not only are there more shared mobility options, but we can also expect new hybrid mobility services to blend traditional transportation options with new technologies like electric vehicles (EVs) and autonomous cars,” he explained.

For instance, in India, Muthiah said Tata Power EV Charging Solutions is collaborating with car-sharing platform Zoomcar to promote EV adoption and to drive sustainable mobility growth. Mobility operators with electric fleets may find themselves an attractive alternative in cities that are pursuing emissions-cutting goals to address the climate crisis.

“MaaS reflects the evolving needs and priorities of consumers in an urbanized, tech-savvy world. It compels automakers to redefine their role within the mobility ecosystem as they need to adapt to offer more than just cars; they now need to offer mobility solutions,” he added.

Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) is set to gain even more ground in 2024. (Image generated by AI)

Transport and logistics: A revolution powered by e-commerce

As the logistics revolution continues in Asia Pacific, more consumers have a keen appetite for flexible delivery options, with 82% of e-commerce shoppers in the region expressing their desire to have end-to-end tracking of all their shipments, regardless of value or origin. Many also expect free returns when they shop online.

According to HERE Technologies’ inaugural APAC on the Move report, 45% of logistics companies in the region are motivated to invest in logistics assets tracking solutions, with the main goal to improve customer satisfaction. 33% of logistics companies are planning to buy drones to improve their services – a promised solution that navigates heavy traffic congestion and narrow streets with a minimal carbon footprint. Since launching in 2022, China’s e-commerce food delivery platform Meituan has completed more than 184,000 orders via drones and has established 17 delivery drone routes across the country.

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Greater China presents a unique logistics landscape. Muthiah said that the countrys logistics industry has experienced such a remarkable boom since the pandemic, thanks to the country’s extensive logistics infrastructure, including a vast network of warehouses and advanced IT services. That has made it increasingly challenging for foreign operators to compete effectively in the region.

Muthiah believes that China’s logistics success accentuates the need for adaptability and knowledge of local dynamics when designing strategies to meet localized needs.

Can self-driving trucks solve driver shortage problems? (Image generated by AI).

Transport and logistics: tackling truck driver shortage

Driver shortage was a big problem during the pandemic, not just in APAC but globally. Many might think the problem solved post-pandemic. However, driver shortage is still a global problem disrupting the industry.

In Japan, a shortage of truck drivers exists despite the growing popularity of e-commerce. Starting April 2024, truck drivers across Japan will have an annual limit of 960 working hours as part of the government’s work-style reforms. The impact this rule has on the logistics sector has been dubbed the “2024 Problem,” as this is expected to disrupt delivery services amid an inability to attract younger workers into the industry.

Muthiah said that Japan has begun to adopt countermeasures that involve automation and technologies to address the shortage of truck drivers. Amazon has introduced around 2,600 self-propelled robots at its logistics base in China, where each will fetch parcels from shelves and deliver them automatically to employees to process. It is also reported that Japan has the highest number of logistics firms compared to the rest of Asia Pacific using technology to track assets in real time without manual input.

The same issue of driver shortages can be seen in Australia. There the average age of a truck driver is 47 and there are over 21,000 advertised vacancies. The Australian logistics industry is turning to robotics and drones to help alleviate the pressure from the shortfall between demand and driver supply.

“These trends represent just a fraction of the multifaceted shifts currently unfolding in the automotive and transport and logistics sectors in the Asia Pacific region. The year ahead promises continuous transformation, which will bring about challenges and opportunities that are nothing short of exhilarating. The dynamic interplay of these trends serves as a catalyst for innovation and transformation, and it is in this environment that we have the opportunity to redefine the very nature of mobility with technology,” Muthiah concluded.

The post On the horizon: transport and logistics in 2024 appeared first on Tech Wire Asia.

2023 has unmistakably been the year of AI, particularly generative AI in the tech industry, and this trend shows no signs of slowing down as we head into 2024.

Generative AI is a potent tool poised to democratize technology’s transformative power.

Exploring the expansive capabilities of generative AI trends in 2024

Here are Tech Wire Asia‘s insights into the AI trends for 2024. The impressive capabilities of generative AI applications stem from training on vast datasets. GPT-4, powering ChatGPT, operates on over one trillion parameters. Similarly, other Large Language Models (LLMs) like Google’s PaLM2 and DeepMind’s Gopher are based on hundreds of billions of parameters.

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The imminent arrival of GPT-5 is anticipated to mark a significant leap in scale. While increasing dataset size isn’t the only method to enhance an LLM’s intelligence, it has proven to be the most effective way of advancing performance. This trend is expected to continue shaping the evolution of new generative AI models in 2024.

Given the younger generation’s preference for video content, AI tool developers are rapidly creating tools to adress demand. Historically, producing video content has been costly, requiring skilled professionals for creation and editing. However, with the advent of generative video tools, 2024 could see anyone creating high-quality video content at a fraction of the current cost.

An X user expresses the excitement of using AI for memes. (Source – X)

In customer service, AI integration is proving to be a game changer. Blending routine tasks with complex, critical operations, AI is set to change the field by handling more initial customer interactions, customizing solutions to common problems, and efficiently summarizing customer interactions.

According to a Boston Consulting Group survey, 95% of customer service leaders anticipate AI bots serving their customers in the next three years.

The augmentation of human intelligence and capabilities with AI in the workplace will be increasingly important for efficiency and safetyand will be evident in various professions. Legal workers, for example, will use AI to summarize case law and draft contracts quickly. Doctors will employ AI to compile patient notes and interpret medical images. Software developers will find AI indispensable in speeding up coding, testing, and debugging.

We suspect students will find AI instrumental in organizing their notes and research, and job-seekers will use it to refine their resumes and cover letters, marking a new era in the symbiotic relationship between human and artificial intelligence.

Insights on AI trends and virtual assistants in 2024

Tech Wire Asia recently sought insights from Jess O’Reilly, Area Vice President, Asia, at UiPath, to delve deeper into the AI trends. O’Reilly shared her perspective on the future of AI, particularly highlighting that LLMs will revolutionize virtual personal assistants.

O’Reilly said a combination of automation, generative AI, and specialized AI is transforming virtual assistants into highly proactive, intuitive, and communicative tools. The transformation is redefining our interaction with machines and is expected to trigger a surge in productivity.

Jess O’Reilly, Area Vice President, Asia, at UiPath, discusses AI and automation trends of 2024.

“Just like the best human assistants, autopilots can quickly learn to complete a wide range of activities and take proactive steps to make workflows faster and smoother,” she said. “Some capabilities include copying and pasting images into webforms, spreadsheets, and enterprise software systems (ERPs, CRMs, etc.) with minimal training; reading and responding to emails; extracting attachments; and generating reports.”

She said autopilots are adept at comprehending work contexts and manual tasks, potentially leading to the creation of automation that replaces repetitive work. This shift can free up valuable time for employees to engage in more impactful activities and enhance overall workstream efficiency.

O’Reilly underscored the accessibility and user-friendliness of virtual assistants (UiPath’s Autopilot among them), predicting their widespread adoption in the Asia Pacific region. With a significant proportion of knowledge workers hoping for AI-assisted productivity, including 26% of Singapore’s workforce facing increased work pressures, implementing these virtual aids is expected to boost productivity and well-being, contributing to a more sustainable work culture in regional organizations.

Evolving AI applications: From autopilots to virtual aids

“Ironically, automation has historically required a considerable amount of manual work to be fully functional. This paradigm will shift in the coming year, with the emergence of “hands-free” enhancements in automation – all of which help significantly reduce the time, expertise, and effort needed for fueling intelligent automated workflows,” she explained.

She mentioned the future of no-code development in AI, enabling teams to convert natural language into automation of processes, streamlining behavior modeling and automating the more tedious aspects of model training.

Reflecting on Gartner’s 2019 prediction that 65 percent of application development would be done with low-code/no-code tools by 2024, O’Reilly opines this prediction might hold true. With tools like Copilot simplifying application development and testing, the landscape of coding and software engineering is set to evolve, opening to individuals with creative ideas and problem-solving abilities; not necessarily with advanced technical skills.

She spoke of the evolving nature of automation, which will not only detect automata execution issues but also be capable of self-correction and autonomous problem-solving. With half of Singapore’s workforce already relying on automation for IT and technical issue resolution, these self-correcting features will further cement automation’s role in addressing technical challenges.

The need for effective AI governance and regulatory frameworks

Currently, there’s no universally accepted standard on AI regulation, but governments are taking steps to establish trusted AI frameworks. These focus on areas like privacy, security, and ethical data handling. A notable example is the collaboration between Singapore’s Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) and the AI Verify Foundation, which led to the launch of the Gen AI Evaluation Sandbox, that aims to re-evaluate generative AI technologies.

With regards to data privacy and protection laws related to AI, O’Reilly notes that corporate leaders are aware of risks associated with AI misuse. A proactive approach is expected to lead to the development of new safeguards to fine-tune the balance between AI’s risks and benefits.

“Effective AI governance will become paramount for achieving robust AI outcomes. In 2024, an increasing number of organizations will witness the evolution of AI governance from aspiration to implementation guided by innovation as enterprise software companies build AI controls into their own offerings. AI providers and scientists will shift their focus towards constructing additional layers of trust, so organizations can confidently leverage new AI capabilities with the knowledge that their data is secure,” O’Reilly concluded.

2024 promises to be a year of significant advancement and transformation in the realm of AI. As we stand at the cusp of these changes, it is an exciting time to witness and participate in the unfolding of this new era of artificial intelligence.

The post What could AI and automation look like in 2024? appeared first on Tech Wire Asia.

If generative AI has been a central theme at almost every tech conference this year, then AWS re:Invent 2023 is no exception. At this year’s Amazon Web Services re:Invent conference, generative AI claimed the spotlight. In his keynote, AWS CEO Adam Selipsky emphasized the company’s readiness to defend its leading position in the cloud market. Like most of its rivals, it is actively deploying AI tools and services.

Selipsky emphasized that AWS aims to assist organizations throughout the AI lifecycle with infrastructure, models, and applications. “If you’re building your models, AWS is relentlessly focused on everything you need: the best chips and most advanced virtualization, powerful petabyte-scale networking capabilities, hyperscale clustering, and the right tools to help you build,” he said during a keynote lasting nearly 2.5 hours.

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Aaron Raj | 30 October, 2023

Trainium2 & Graviton4: AI model training chips

Considering that the growing demand for generative AI has led to a shortage of GPUs (Nvidia’s high-performance chips reportedly unavailable until 2024), tech giants are developing and offering custom chips for creating, iterating on, and deploying AI models to reduce dependence on GPUs. Amazon took the stage at the re:Invent conference this year to introduce its latest chip generation to alleviate that dependence on companies like AMD and Nvidia.

AWS Trainium2 aims to provide up to four times improved performance and two times better energy efficiency than its predecessor, Trainium, introduced in December 2020. Amazon plans to make it accessible in EC Trn2 instances, organized in clusters of 16 chips in the AWS cloud. Trainium2 is scalable and can reach up to 100,000 chip instances in AWS’ EC2 UltraCluster product.

AWS Trainium2 will power the highest performance compute on AWS for training foundation models faster and at a lower cost while using less energy. Source: AWS’s YouTube

Deployments at that kind of scale provide supercomputer-class performance with up to 65 exaflops of compute power. “Exaflops” and “teraflops” measure how many floating-point math operations a chip can perform per second. Large-scale deployments of Titanium2 enable customers to train large language models with 300 billion parameters in weeks rather than months, the company claims.

“Trainium2 chips are designed for high-performance training of models with trillions of parameters. [..] The cost-effective Trn2 instances aim to accelerate advances in generative AI by delivering high-scale ML training performance,” Amazon said in a release.

Amazon, did not specify the release date for Trainium2 to AWS customers, except for indicating they will be available “sometime next year.” The second chip the cloud giant introduced was Graviton4. “With each successive generation of chip, AWS delivers better price performance and energy efficiency, giving customers even more options—in addition to chip/instance combinations featuring the latest chips from third parties like AMD, Intel, and NVIDIA—to run virtually any application or workload on Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2),” Amazon said.

Graviton4 raises the bar on price performance and energy efficiency for a broad range of workloads, according to AWS. Source: AWS’ YouTube

Graviton4 marks the fourth generation the tech giant delivered in just five years and is “the most powerful and energy-efficient chip we have ever built for a broad range of workloads,” David Brown, vice president of Compute and Networking at AWS, said. According to a press release release, Graviton4 provides up to 30% better compute performance, 50% more cores, and 75% more memory bandwidth than current generation Graviton3 processors and is suitable for a broad range of workloads running on Amazon EC2.

Nvidia at AWS re:Invent 2023

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, making a surprise appearance at AWS CEO Adam Selipsky’s re:Invent conference keynote. Source: AWS’ YouTube.

AWS said it aims to distinguish itself as a cloud provider by offering a range of cost-effective options around AI. The strategy doesn’t solely rely on selling affordable Amazon-branded products; similar to its online retail marketplace, Amazon’s cloud platform will showcase premium products from other vendors, including much sought-after GPUs from Nvidia.

Following Microsoft’s unveiling of its inaugural AI chip, the Maia 100, and the integration of Nvidia H200 GPUs into the Azure cloud, Amazon made parallel announcements at the Reinvent conference. It disclosed plans to offer access to Nvidia’s latest H200 AI graphics processing units alongside its two new chips.

“AWS and Nvidia have collaborated for over 13 years, beginning with the world’s first GPU cloud instance. Today, we offer the widest range of Nvidia GPU solutions for workloads including graphics, gaming, high-performance computing, machine learning, and now, generative AI,” Selipsky said. “We continue to innovate with Nvidia to make AWS the best place to run GPUs, combining next-gen Nvidia Grace Hopper Superchips with AWS’s EFA powerful networking, EC2 UltraClusters’ hyper-scale clustering, and Nitro’s advanced virtualization capabilities.”

A detailed explanation of AWS and Nvidia’s collaboration can be found in this standalone article.

Amazon Q: a chatbot for businesses unveiled at AWS re:Invent 2023

Amazon Q can help you get fast, relevant answers to pressing questions, solve problems, generate content, and take actions using the data and expertise found in your company’s information repositories, code, and enterprise systems. Source: AWS

In the competitive landscape of AI assistants, Amazon has entered the fray with its offering, Amazon Q. Developed by the company’s cloud computing division, this workplace-focused chatbot is tailored for corporate, not consumer use. “We think Q has the potential to become a work companion for millions and millions of people in their work life,” Selipsky told The New York Times.

Amazon Q is designed to assist employees with their daily tasks, from summarizing strategy documents to handling internal support tickets and addressing queries related to company policies. Positioned in the corporate chatbot arena, it will contend with counterparts like Microsoft’s Copilot, Google’s Duet AI, and OpenAI’s ChatGPT Enterprise.

Titan Image Generator and Guardrails for Bedrock

Along with multiple others, Amazon is introducing its own image generator. Unveiled at AWS re:Invent 2023, the Titan Image Generator is now in preview on Bedrock for AWS users. As part of the Titan generative AI models, it can generate new images based on text or customize existing media.

“[You] can use the model to easily swap out an existing [image] background to a background of a rainforest [for example],” Swami Sivasubramanian, VP for data and machine learning services at AWS, said onstage. “[And you] can use the model to seamlessly swap out backgrounds to generate lifestyle images, all while retaining the image’s main subject and creating a few more options.”

AWS also unveiled Guardrails for Amazon Bedrock, enabling implementation of safeguards that ensure user experiences align with company policies. “These guardrails facilitate the definition of denied topics and content filters, removing undesirable content from interactions,” AWS noted in a blog post.

You can apply guardrails to all large language models (LLMs) in Amazon Bedrock, including fine-tuned models, and Agents for Amazon Bedrock. Source: AWS

Applied to all large language models in Amazon Bedrock, including models and Agents, guardrails promote “safe innovation” while managing user experiences. Standardizing safety and privacy controls, Guardrails for Amazon Bedrock supports creating generative AI applications aligned with responsible AI goals, AWS said.

The post From AI-powered chips to chatbot: Here’s what was unveiled at AWS re-Invent 2023 appeared first on Tech Wire Asia.

In today’s digital work environment, seeking focus amid incessant online noise is akin to an intense treasure hunt. Employees wade through a ceaseless flood of messages, meetings and alerts, all vying for a slice of their divided attention. This ongoing struggle often devolves into a perpetual hunt through digital folders, emails, and an abyss of browser tabs, in search of the very elements crucial for efficient job performance.

Such relentless digital disturbances do more than just consume our time; they plunder the potential within us. The cumulative effect of these distractions represents hundreds of hours lost each year, time that could have been dedicated to more impactful and rewarding endeavors.

Yet the future of productivity isn’t predetermined. Fresh research points to a hopeful trajectory, highlighting the role of AI-powered tools, flexible work setups, and asynchronous communication strategies in paving a more focused, efficient path forward.

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Empowering work productivity through AI

A recent study by Economist Impact, sponsored by Dropbox, reveals a telling snapshot: 42% of respondents confessed to rarely enjoying an uninterrupted, productive work hour. The study further estimates a staggering loss of over five hundred hours per year for the average knowledge worker due to distractions, with 157 of those hours squandered on unproductive messaging via workplace chat applications—identified as the primary culprit for broken concentration.

Simultaneously, the rise of generative AI is ushering in innovative product development possibilities tailored to modern work’s nuances. The study also indicates a positive reception to automation tools, increasingly driven by AI, with 79% of users reporting enhanced productivity and roughly 70% acknowledging better organization.

The research additionally provides insights into future expectations from AI technology. The overarching idea is clear: the more our tools can streamline daily tasks, the more we can dedicate ourselves to innovative, collaborative, and creative pursuits.

Automation of repetitive tasks emerged as a top priority for over 40% of participants. Close to 30% expressed a desire for tools capable of aiding in information retrieval, organization, and summarization, while over 20% sought solutions for query resolution.

The preferable ways to use AI-powered tools. (Source – Dropbox)

AI’s potential to transform meetings is particularly striking. Internal insights from Dropbox—sourced from comprehensive interviews and surveys with employees, (orchestrated by its People Analytics team alongside external researchers)—reveal that meetings carry hidden costs not reflected in our calendars. These include the time spent in preparation and post-meeting processing and the cognitive toll of switching between unrelated meetings.

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The prospect of AI tools shouldering some of this cognitive burden—from transcribing and summarizing discussions to compiling preparatory materials—promises a future with more room for focus and reduced administrative clutter.

The sentiment gleaned from the Economist Impact survey suggests a prevailing optimism: AI and automation are viewed not as threats to job security, but as enhancers of work quality, intelligence, and efficiency. Among respondents already relying on AI and automation tools, 86% felt their job security was either bolstered or unaffected by these technologies—a consistency observed across all age groups, from Gen Z to Baby Boomers.

AI’s battle against work distractions

Mitigating the cognitive strain caused by administrative excess is crucial for unlocking our full productivity potential. Yet, in an era punctuated by endless meetings and incessant messaging, maintaining focus is an uphill battle.

Although indispensable in remote work setups, key communication tools also double as sources of distraction and tension. Approximately 60% of people report feeling compelled to respond instantly to messages, while 63% admit to a constant pressure to remain accessible.

Economist Impact’s findings underscore the productivity pitfall: inefficient meetings and workplace chat applications account for the loss of 79 and 157 hours annually per knowledge worker, respectively.

Addressing the issue of unproductive messaging alone could unlock substantial economic benefits: potentially US$31,000 per knowledge worker in the US (US$360 billion on a national scale, representing 11% of annual economic production).

Recovering from such disruptions, including emails and meetings, devours 127 hours each year for the average American worker—a number that’s on the rise. This trend isn’t confined to the US; it’s a global phenomenon, with workers in countries like Korea, Australia, and the UK losing over 100 hours annually to distraction recovery.

Hours of lost focus per knowledge worker (left axis) and equivalent economic cost per person (right axis). (Source – Dropbox)

While eradicating every distraction remains an unattainable ideal, the potential to harness innovative tools to contain this turmoil is a realistic ambition.

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This strategy encompasses utilizing solutions such as Dropbox Dash for prompt information retrieval or automated transcriptions for more efficient meetings. AI technologies stand at the forefront of these pragmatic enhancements of our professional lives.

What is Dropbox doing to enhance work?

Now available in open beta, Dropbox Dash is a testament to enhanced search functionality, thanks to its AI infusion. It amalgamates various apps, tools, and content under one search umbrella, significantly easing the information hunt. With features like Stacks, an intelligent system for link organization, and a centralized start page, it streamlines navigation throughout the working day.

Can AI free us from meetings that should have been emails, and emails that could have waited till meetings?

Addressing the contemporary challenge of managing content sprawled across various platforms, Dash represents Dropbox’s solution to digital clutter, allowing users to concentrate on more substantial tasks. Based on user feedback, the system has evolved to accommodate keyword and semantic searches, eliminating dependence on the exact memory of extensive titles.

Additionally, Dash can respond directly to queries by using AI to parse and synthesize information from diverse sources, delivering rapid, pertinent responses. This development signifies a crucial stride toward adept digital workspace administration.

Since its launch, Dropbox AI has been pivotal in simplifying the summarization of high-volume content such as videos, audio files, and documents. The platform has evolved, enabling users to pose questions and receive summaries from content spanning their entire Dropbox account. By initiating a search, Dropbox AI swiftly finds relevant answers and file summaries, enhancing the speed of information retrieval.

What’s more, Dropbox AI is adept at interpreting natural language commands, and responding accurately to requests like “show me photos from my photoshoot yesterday.” Additionally, users are given greater autonomy over their digital experiences, with the ability to adjust AI functionalities within their account settings.

The digital workspace is undergoing a transformative phase. With the integration of advanced AI capabilities in tools like Dropbox Dash and Dropbox AI, our approach to handling information and managing tasks is becoming more streamlined and efficient.

The post How AI can restore your focus at work appeared first on Tech Wire Asia.