Enterprise Connect 2024 kicked off Monday with a flurry of announcements from major tech companies showcasing their latest advancements in artificial intelligence for customer experience and employee collaboration. The common thread through all; AI in UC is here to stay.
We started the day off with Kevin Keiller talking about the numerous iterations of Copilot from Microsoft. Microsoft has positioned itself as “the Copilot company,” according to Satya Nadella, with the introduction of eleven Copilots across various platforms, including GitHub, Windows, 365, Pro, Viva, Sales, Services, Security, Finance, and Dax.
Copilot for All
Copilot leverages large language models (LLMs) to unlock generative AI in Microsoft Teams, enabling features such as meeting, email, and document summarization, as well as image generation and coding assistance. The neural network powering LLMs allows for these advanced functionalities. Premium Copilot subscriptions offer additional features like real-time translation.
One of Copilot’s unique strengths lies in its ability to leverage the Microsoft Graph,
where customer data resides, and combine it with user prompts to create company-specific generative AI. This “grounding” capability sets Copilot apart from competitors. For instance, in Teams, Copilot can generate meeting summaries, transcriptions, and action items, which can be searched and accessed through the call history. This is where AI in UC lives for Microsoft.
AI in UC uses
Teams serve as the hub for Copilot’s true AI assistant capabilities, with the chat function providing access to a wide range of documents and emails. Copilot Labs offers additional prompts and access to new features. However, it’s important to note that there is a risk of inaccurate information with Copilot, particularly in areas such as meeting summarization, query, and document/email query.
While Copilot has the potential to be a significant productivity saver, users may need to verify its output to ensure accuracy. As businesses adopt Copilot, it will be crucial to audit permission sharing to maintain data security. With Microsoft’s commitment to generative AI in UC and the continued development of Copilot, the enterprise landscape is poised for a transformative shift in productivity and collaboration.
UC Announcements
The part of Enterprise Connect that is interesting for you is how vendors you see at InfoComm or other tradeshow show off their solutions. Sennheiser, Shure, and Barco have booths here. And even AV stalwarts that don’t have booths can be found. Case in point, Extron. Extron control can be found in the DTEN, Yealink, and Maxhub booths showing off their ability to interface with Zoom Rooms natively.
Cisco announced two new devices optimized for the hybrid work era. The Cisco Board Pro G2 is an AI-powered collaboration display while the Desk Phone 9800 Series allows hotdesking and integrates with Cisco’s smart building and device management tools. Both support native interoperability with Microsoft Teams.
Zoom introduced Zoom Workplace, an expansive update adding AI-driven features across its portfolio. Zoom AI Companion can now proactively assist with meeting preparation and follow-up, voicemail prioritization, and chat summarization. Updates to Zoom Meetings, Phone, and Contact Center leverage AI in UC to enable smarter user experiences and expanded digital channels.
Generative AI in UC
EGain launched AssistGPT, a no-code generative AI service that integrates with major contact center platforms, allowing easy deployment of AI while maintaining responsible guardrails through an administrative console.
Talkdesk unveiled Ascend Connect, a generative AI suite to modernize on-premises contact centers with tools for conversational AI, agent assistance, interaction analytics and responsible AI model management, accessible through a drag-and-drop interface.
Day one is a shortened show floor day. Not enough time to see all the booths. Today will be spent interviewing and connecting with the experts here in Orlando. Check back tomorrow for a recap of Day Two.
