From vision to reality – Exploring transformative AI solutions with Microsoft technologies
AI is offering transformative changes in healthcare, construction, and automotive that enable businesses to operate more efficiently and achieve impressive outcomes. Across the globe, companies are increasingly leveraging Microsoft’s Azure AI platform to gain a competitive edge. From small startups to industry giants, organizations of all sizes are embracing Azure AI to transform their operations. Here are some real-world examples of companies utilizing AI to drive their success.
Facilitating Decision-Making with Generative AI
- Generative AI utilizes algorithms modeled after neural networks, mimicking human brain processes. These algorithms are trained on extensive datasets to produce outputs such as text, images, and sounds that closely resemble human thinking. CarMax, a prominent used-car retailer in the United States, used generative AI to create sentiment summaries for every car in its inventory. This innovation spared customers the tiring task of sifting through individual reviews, facilitating quicker purchase decisions.
Notable examples of generative AI include ChatGPT and GitHub Copilot. Shamim Mohammad, Executive Vice President and Chief Information and Technology Officer emphasizes the importance of innovation and Microsoft’s role in providing essential tools: ” Innovation happens at a rapid pace, and I want us to be the most innovative company in our industry. I trust Microsoft will keep providing the tools we need to do that.”
Improving Customer Experience Through AI-Generated Insights
- CarMax leveraged Azure OpenAI Service to generate customer review summaries for over 5,000 car listings within a short span. This AI application significantly enhanced the shopping experience by offering concise and informative reviews.
By using generative AI, CarMax condensed the review process from what would have taken over a decade through manual means to just a few months. The outcome included scaled content summaries, improved search rankings, time efficiency, and enhanced customer satisfaction.
Revolutionizing Athletic Performance with Azure AI
- In the rapidly evolving technological era, Microsoft enables enterprises to harness AI’s potential within their Microsoft Cloud solutions. Microsoft safeguards businesses by protecting their data and empowering employees to thrive in the digital age.
This commitment to empowering organizations extends to specific applications like Computer vision, a subset of AI. It enables computers and systems to extract meaningful insights from images, leading to valuable data and analytics. Common applications of computer vision include image search functionality in search engines and facial recognition features on various devices.
AI Partnership for Olympic Success
- USA Surfing, the official national federation for surfing in the United States, has partnered with Azure AI to support its athletes’ journey to the Olympics. The collaboration between Microsoft and USA Surfing resulted from a hackathon where a team of six dedicated data scientists and engineers utilized Azure AI to analyze uploaded videos, offering AI-generated insights to enhance athlete performance and minimize injuries.
Sports Performance Enhancement
Ryan Simmons, Head Coach of USA Surfing, acknowledges the significance of technology in sports. While machines can never replace the human connections between trainers, physical therapists, coaches, and athletes, they provide additional insights and information that are utilized across various sports to prevent injuries.
These insights involve a range of factors, including the surfer’s stance, coil, torque, wave shape, and critical sections, as well as metrics related to surfboard shape, volume, maneuver detection, and more. The resulting analytics are stored as overlay video files accessible to coaches, medical and training staff, judges, and event broadcasters. This project required a unique collaboration involving Azure Cognitive Services for Vision, the Microsoft AI Developer Accelerator Program (MAIDAP), and FTA.
Enhancing User Experience with Azure AI
- In collaboration with Microsoft, the NBA has revolutionized its digital platform to provide fans with a more personalized journey. Through the integration of Microsoft Azure and Azure AI, the NBA App now features a dedicated “For You” page, offering tailored content recommendations based on individual preferences.
Additionally, fans can enjoy a dynamic vertical video experience featuring real-time highlights from ongoing NBA games. With the integration of NBA League Pass and NBA TV, fans can conveniently access live games, scores, statistics, and standings, all within a unified platform. Leveraging machine learning capabilities, the app continually refines its insights, adapting to user interactions and behaviors to deliver a more immersive experience.
Ongoing Innovation
- Ken DeGennaro, senior vice president of media operations and technology for the NBA, emphasizes the app’s ongoing evolution. By combining game data with fan insights, the NBA aims to create engaging content and unique experiences.
Moreover, future enhancements, including augmented reality and virtual reality features, promise to enhance the fan experience further, offering innovative viewing angles and interactive elements to enrich the basketball journey.
Improving Search Capabilities with AI Technology
- KPMG, a renowned professional services firm, has a division dedicated to tackling financial crime, such as trader surveillance, through technology and data analytics. By transitioning to Azure cloud services, KPMG aimed to optimize its operations and improve customer search capabilities for its increasing amounts of unorganized data.
KPMG utilizes advanced AI technologies to bring together trader communications from diverse channels like emails, phone calls, and chats. This approach enables quick and comprehensive risk identification, which is crucial in a landscape where traders often communicate in coded language. Steven Wells, Director of the Forensic Data Analytics Team at KPMG, highlights the role of AI in pinpointing elusive signals that pose intentional challenges for detection.
Optimizing Back-end Transformation
- The company also embraced Azure Cognitive Search, which helps to organize and search through unstructured data across various customer data systems, leading to improved search outcomes. Additionally, KPMG utilizes the preview features of semantic search, which leverages advanced machine learning models trained on vast amounts of Bing queries to deliver more nuanced and contextually relevant search results across their data repository. Athanasios Pavlou, Senior Manager of Advanced Analytics and Cloud at KPMG, highlights Azure Cognitive Search as a central element of their engagement strategy.
It integrates seamlessly with the Cognitive Services they already employ, allowing for more effective handling of unstructured data. Through Azure AI capabilities, KPMG empowers customers to mitigate risks and access critical insights, ultimately enhancing the overall customer experience. This strategic integration of technology optimizes back-end operations and also positions KPMG as a trusted partner in complex financial landscapes.
Conclusion
- In today’s fast-changing tech world, Microsoft is leading the way in integrating AI within its Cloud solutions to drive transformative change. With a commitment to trust and security, Microsoft prioritizes safeguarding businesses and empowering users through cutting-edge AI technologies.
As AI continues to shape the future of business, addressing fairness concerns and biases becomes essential. While AI systems may not always capture complex human attributes, such as emotions, Microsoft is dedicated to finding and fixing any problems.
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