Zoom Tries Conversational AI

 A space we examined very early on to support group meetings and work.  Now finally emerging?

Zoom enters the conversational AI arena 

By Ryan Daws | January 27, 2023 | TechForge Media,  Ryan is a senior editor at TechForge Media ....

Zoom is getting into the conversational AI arena with the launch of Zoom Virtual Agent.

The chatbot solution aims to improve how businesses assist their customers and employees by delivering fast and highly-personalised responses.

“Every leader I speak to is seeking dual outcomes from their CX technology: superior omnichannel resolutions for their customers and an improved bottom line,” said Mahesh Ram, Head of Digital Customer Experience at Zoom.

“Imagine being able to deliver fast, accurate resolutions in 50 percent or more of your self-service interactions just weeks after launching.”

Zoom Virtual Agent works across both the web and mobile and relies on proprietary AI and machine learning technology to accurately interpret what customers or employees are asking.

“The tools and approaches for delivering conversational intelligence applications continue to improve, making it even easier for brands to deliver cost-effective self-service solutions that provide real value to their customers, while significantly reducing the cost of service,” commented Max Ball, Principal Industry Analyst at Forrester.

Zoom’s chatbot solution does not require extensive coding and claims to integrate seamlessly with various CRM, chat, and contact centre platforms. Of course, Zoom says it “shines” when used as part of its Zoom Contact Center solution.

The chatbot crawls and learns from an enterprise’s knowledge bases and FAQs to promptly deliver responses.  Built-in analytics highlight where knowledge bases are lacking so they can be updated to improve the experience going forward.

“We’ve always enjoyed working with Mahesh and team, who helped us level up our support with self-service rates that exceeded our expectations,” said Marissa Morley, CX Tools Specialist at SeatGeek.

“We’re excited to see what that same team has done with the new Zoom Virtual Agent.”

Want to learn more about AI and big data from industry leaders? Check out AI & Big Data Expo taking place in Amsterdam, California, and London.

Explore other upcoming enterprise technology events and webinars powered by TechForge here.... '

Netherlands Regulating Tech

Another instructive regulation example.

How the Netherlands Is Taming Big Tech  By The New York Times, January 20, 2023

Microsoft chief privacy officer Julie Brill, at left, during in a 2018 White House discussion on childrens use of the Internet.

Microsoft chief privacy officer Julie Brill, at left, worked with the Dutch government on privacy issues.

In the Netherlands, government and educational institutions have pushed big tech companies to make significant privacy changes using a carrot-and-stick approach that involves negotiating their compliance with European data privacy standards.

After the Dutch Data Protection Authority said schools would have to discontinue use of Google's education apps if privacy risks were not addressed, Google responded with new privacy measures and transparency tools that will be rolled out in the Netherlands and elsewhere later this year.

Zoom also announced substantial changes to its data protection practices and policies after talks with a Dutch cooperative, SURF, that negotiates tech vendor contracts on behalf of the nation's universities and research institutions.

Now other nations are looking to the Dutch approach as they seek to regulate big tech.

From The New York Times       View Full Article - May Require Paid Subscription

Hybrid Work in Useful Ways

Standardizing probably the best overall solution.  Clear connections to shared work.   Have now worked with a half dozen systems. 

ACM TECHNEWS

Hybrid Work Meetings Are Hell. Tech Is Trying to Fix Them  By The Wall Street Journal, June 21, 2022

Many companies are embracing hybrid work models, with some employees working at home part of the time and others working entirely from home, and technology companies are rolling out new options for hybrid meetings.

Said Microsoft Teams' Greg Baribault, "Conference rooms need to be rethought as hybrid spaces." This involves merging updated conference-room camera technology with software from video-calling platforms like Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, and Zoom.

Camera systems, like Logitech's Rally Bar, which works with Microsoft Teams, use artificial intelligence to show the people speaking on screen as if they were individual meeting participants, without the need for a laptop webcam.

Zoom's Smart Gallery, on supported cameras, can create individual video feeds of each participant and pan as they move.

Meanwhile, Meta's Horizon Workrooms app allows for metaverse meetings with Meta Quest 2 headsets, allowing remote participants to feel as though they are in the same room.

From The Wall Street Journal   

Backlash to Zoom Emotion Detecting

 I agree that AI is not fully ready to do this well today,  but that 9t is inevitable, this will happen. And its a good idea to experiment with it now.  Not Dystopian.  

In AI News    Zoom receives backlash for emotion-detecting AI. By Ryan Daws | May 19, 2022 | TechForge Media

Zoom has caused a stir following reports that it’s developing an AI system for detecting emotions.

The system, first reported by Protocol, claims to scan users’ faces and their speech to determine their emotions.   Zoom detailed the system more in a blog post last month. The company says ‘Zoom IQ’ will be particularly useful for helping salespeople improve their pitches based on the emotions of call participants.

Naturally, the system is seen as rather dystopian and has received its fair share of criticism.

On Wednesday, over 25 rights groups sent a joint letter to Zoom CEO Eric Yuan. The letter urges Zoom to cease research on emotion-based AI.  The letter’s signatories include the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Muslim Justice League, and Access Now.

One of the key concerns is that emotion-detecting AI could be used for things like hiring or financial decisions; such as whether to grant loans. That has the possibility to increase existing inequalities. “Results are not intended to be used for employment decisions or other comparable decisions. All recommended ranges for metrics are based on publicly available research,” Zoom explained.

Zoom IQ tracks metrics including ... '   (more at the ink) 

Zoom Wants to do More

And want to see more, especially that saves time, records things, organizes things intelligently.  Give us us an after Covid present.   Here for customer service ....

Zoom is driving further into the customer service market

By Anthony Spadafora in Techradar

Video conferencing giant expands its contact center offering with Solvvy acquisition

In its latest move into the customer service market, Zoom has announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the AI and automation platform for customer support Solvvy.

Once the acquisition closes, the two companies will provide elevated customer service experiences to enterprise businesses on a global scale and work together quickly to capitalize on new opportunities in both the contact center and customer support segments.

President of product and engineering at Zoom, Velchamy Sankarlingam explained in a press release how acquiring Solvvy will help boost its Zoom Contact Center offering which launched earlier this year, saying:  .... '

Expanding the Zoom of it

Been intrigued by what innovative things could be done with methods like Zoom to make them more valuable.  Here some new features from Zoom, interesting but not very remarkable.

Zoom will soon tell your boss if you’re late for a meeting    By Joel Khalili in TechRadar

New attendee status feature shows who isn't yet present

Zoom has unveiled a series of updates for its video conferencing and collaboration platforms, one of which may prove unpopular with the scatterbrains of this world.

Courtesy of integrations with Google and Outlook calendars, Zoom will soon begin to display a list of meeting invitees that have yet to join the call.

“Their invite response (accepted, declined, maybe) is listed with their name and the host can easily invite them to the meeting from the participants panel,” the company explained.

Here's our list of the best business webcams available

Check out our list of the best headsets for conference calls

We've built a list of the best VoIP services out there

Although useful in a number of contexts (such as taking the register for a virtual class, for example), gone will be the days of slinking into a team meeting a few minutes late, with the host none the wiser. ... ' 

Zoom Rooms and Alexa for Business

 Alexa linking with Zoom Room Appliances.  Collaboration with Zoo,  Voice control of meeting management.  Expanding the uses of Amazon for Business. A good movement forward given the popularity of Zoom for meetings.   And the use of AI to integrate voice and logical management of increasingly complex meetings in the post-pandemic world.  Look forward to give this a try.  

Zoom Rooms and Alexa for Business to Empower Hands-Free Meetings  By Bobby Agarwal  in Amazon Developer

With employees around the country beginning to transition back into physical offices, many teams are making decisions related to how they can prepare their technical infrastructure for the post-pandemic world. One of the recurring themes has been the need for hands-free and voice-controlled meeting rooms. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, Gartner predicted that by 2022, 40% of formal meetings will be facilitated by virtual AI and advanced analytics.

Simpler Voice-Controlled Meetings    

Starting today, Alexa will be integrated into Zoom Rooms Appliances and available for organizations of all sizes. This update extends support to Zoom Rooms Appliances manufactured by DTEN, Logitech, Neat, and Poly. By using natural language such as “Alexa, join my meeting,” or “Alexa, find me an available room” administrators can help employees focus on the meeting itself rather than the technology. No more touching screens, switching between technologies, or remembering how to use different devices.

This new offering enables administrators to set up Alexa for Business with a few clicks within the Zoom Rooms portal itself and without having to purchase additional hardware. Once enabled, for an individual room, floor, building, or campus, Zoom Rooms users can ask Alexa to join their scheduled meeting, start a new meeting, book a room for their ad-hoc meeting, or find an available room by simply using their voice. 

“How we work is changing,” said Jeff Smith, Head of Zoom Rooms at Zoom. “By integrating Alexa for Business into Zoom Rooms Appliances, we’re reducing friction for organizations as they look towards ways to bring back their employees safely.”    ... " 

Echo has Zoom

Good to see broader, business oriented capabilities.

Amazon’s Echo Show 10 now has Zoom

For those pandemic-fueled video calls

By Ashley Carman@ashleyrcarman in TheVerge

Amazon’s bringing Zoom compatibility to more devices. The company announced today that it’s making the Echo Show 10 devices in the US compatible with the popular video calling software. Users who have their calendars linked up to the Alexa will have their meetings started automatically while people who haven’t done that can say, “Alexa, join my meeting” or “Alexa, join my Zoom meeting” to join one. This is the second Echo Show to gain Zoom access; the Echo Show 8 started supporting the videoconferencing platform in the US in December.

The Echo Show 10’s camera tracks users as they move throughout a room, meaning callers can see the screen no matter where they sit or stand. Presumably, this functionality will work with Zoom, putting it on par with other competitor devices like the Facebook Portal and Google Nest. Google pulls Zoom meetings from users’ calendars while Facebook allows its Portal camera to track users around the room so that they’re always in frame, just like it does with Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp calls. ...  "

Using Virtual Backgrounds

Hiding the mess is a good reason.  Though other than plain backgrounds do quickly get tedious.

(OWL is a Business Partner of Zoom)

31 Free Zoom Virtual Backgrounds & How to Change your Zoom Background

Katherine Boyarsky | October 1, 2020

Bored with the same backdrop every meeting?  Or is your place a mess and you don't have time to tidy up before your next call?  Try setting up a new Zoom background.

Whether you are working from the kitchen table of your small apartment, navigating work from home life with your roommates or partner, or you’re constantly on the move thanks to your flexible work from anywhere schedule, it can be a challenge to find a private place to have video conferencing calls or participate in online classes. Adding a Zoom background image is a good way to keep your meeting background distraction-free. ... '

New Zoom Abuse: TurkeyBombing

In the sense that your guard may be down to phishing when you are casually involved in video communication with family and friends.

TurkeyBombing Puts New Twist on Zoom Abuse   In Threatpost

Threat actors already stole nearly 4,000 credentials before the holiday was even over, according to report.

Millions of family and friends, forced to spend Thanksgiving socially distant, are being targeted by cybercriminals as they turn to video platforms like Zoom to virtually be together. In this ongoing attack, cybersecurity experts warn, victims are targeted with a Zoom-related and Thanksgiving-specific hook reminiscent to ZoomBoming — call it TurkeyBombing.

On Thursday, a security researcher warned that a major phishing campaign kicked off over the Thanksgiving long weekend and is aimed at stealing Microsoft credentials. Attackers have already successfully pried credentials out of thousands of users, according to the researcher who goes by the handle TheAnalyst.  According to the researcher, quoted in a BleepingComputer report, the attack is ongoing and forecast to continue. ... " 

Zoom Adding End-to-end Encryption

Been following this for some time.   I like Zoom, my favorite to date of the half dozen commonly in use methods I know of.     Now even free users can turn on advanced end to end encryption.   Very powerful encryption, though it must be specifically turned on.   Other vendors are adding other interesting, more text analytic  'business' functions  that are interesting,  but not aimed at the average user. 

Zoom starts rolling out end-to-end encryption

E2EE is available as a technical preview for free and paid users.    By Kris Holt, @krisholt   in Engadget

Zoom is now rolling out end-to-end encryption (E2EE) for both free and paid users, so your video chats and meetings should be much more secure. You can activate E2EE on Zoom’s latest desktop client, Android app and Zoom Rooms starting today. It’ll be available on iOS soon after Apple approves an app update.

You’ll need to manually switch on E2EE in your settings, and all meeting participants will need to do so for their calls to use that level of encryption. You’ll know E2EE is active if you spot a green shield icon in the top left of your call.  .... ' 

Beating Zoom Fatigue

Somewhat of an old idea,  how well can it be done?   And, as we have been seeing with facial recognition, will it be blocked for implying the wrong 'kind' of control?   I would further ask, is 'zoom fatigue' any different from just general in-the-office work fatigue?  Seems if anything it is less controlling/fatiguing since you can avoid and hide from it readily. 

Emotionally aware technology could help us beat Zoom fatigue By Rana El Kaliouby in FastCompany
In times of crises we tend to crave connection, but we’re being asked to do the opposite through social distancing. More emotionally intelligent computers could help bridge the gap.  ... " 

Ready to go beyond Zoom to Virtual Worlds?

Something we explored, but it was overall not very successful.  Even allowed us to construct part of the real-world operational process world to interact with.    If you are talking to a group of  plant managers, why not include the simulation of a manufacturing line that is a twin of the real thing?  Interact with virtual streams of data from the real thing? Makes some kinds of training more natural.  But now have needs changed enough to make it more reasonable?   A broader means of remote work?

Zoom Not Cutting It for You? Try Exploring a Virtual World   By Louise Matsakis  in Wired

If you’re craving more from your video chats, think outside the box. From Second Life to Online Town, there are plenty of places to gather while staying at home.

"... It’s time to think out of the Zoom box. Why not add a virtual world to your next video call? Having a place to socialize, even a digital one, can make connecting through a computer far more enjoyable—even if you think you don’t like videogames. Virtual worlds like Second Life, as well as massively multiplayer online games like World of Warcraft, have been around for decades, but the Covid-19 lockdown presents an opportunity to revisit them and to explore what we want in an online destination. “I think the new demands of the shelter-in-place orders may prompt interesting new designs for virtual spaces and also help us rethink assumptions,” says Nick Yee, the cofounder of Quantic Foundry, a gaming market research firm, and the author of The Proteus Paradox: How Online Games and Virtual Worlds Change Us—and How They Don’t. “Why do we need virtual chairs if our virtual bodies never get tired?”

Google and Microsoft Chase Zoom

Like to see the competition.  I see that many people today are using several options.

Google and Microsoft Chase After Zoon with new features and Free Services

The race to respond to Zoom’s popularity is well and truly on
By Tom Warren@tomwarren

oom’sZoom’s growth has exploded in recent weeks, leaving rivals like Google, Microsoft, and Facebook scrambling to respond. Millions of people have turned to Zoom to hold virtual get-togethers, birthday parties, and yoga classes during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. This extra attention hasn’t gone unnoticed among Zoom rivals, who are looking on enviously at Zoom’s growth: up from 10 million daily users in December to more than 300 million in April. While Zoom now battles security and privacy concerns, its rivals are starting to hit back.

Google is announcing today that its Meet video conferencing service, known previously as Hangouts Meet, is now free for anybody who wants to use it. Previously geared towards enterprise and educational use, Google Meet can now be used by anyone with a Google account, and supports meetings of any amount of time (at least until October when they might be limited to 60 minutes) for up to 100 people. It’s a big move that’s clearly designed to counter Zoom’s popularity.... "

Zoom Continues the Climb, with New Vulnerability

Looks to be something that can be easily patched once understood.    Now that Zoom is under the microscope, this is a good thing.

Zoom passes 300M daily users as new security vulnerability discovered

By Duncan Riley in SiliconAngle

Zoom Video Communications Inc. continues to surge in popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic even as yet another security vulnerability has been revealed.

Chief Executive Officer Eric Yuan revealed during a webinar on April 22 that the company now has more than 300 million daily users, up 50% from 200 million users it had at the beginning of the month.

“Clearly, the Zoom platform is providing an incredibly valuable service to our beloved users during this challenging time,” Yuan said. “We are thrilled and honored to continue to earn the trust of so many enterprises, hospitals, teachers and customers throughout the world.”

Zoom has been the No. 1 app of the pandemic, with millions using the videoconferencing service as they’re forced to work from home. After surging to the top of app charts in March, Zoom still remains at the top on both iOS and Android, according to data from App Annie.

With that popularity has come increased scrutiny over its security and Zoom has struggled. Various security vulnerabilities have been uncovered and there’s yet a new one.

Detailed Wednesday by Daniel Petrillo at Morphisec Technologies Ltd., the newly discovered vulnerability in the Zoom app allows potential attackers to record Zoom sessions and capture text chats without the knowledge of meeting participants...... ' 

Otter Transcribes Zoom Meetings, It Also Needs to Augment Them

Now take it further.  Who has agreed to do what?     Wat input did we not get?  What resources and especially data do they need?  Has the meeting met pre-stated goals?  ...

This tool automatically transcribes your Zoom meetings as they happen     Otter.ai’s new feature can be launched directly from a call

By Jon Porter@JonPorty  in Theverge

Automated transcription service Otter.ai now integrates directly into Zoom calls to transcribe meetings on the fly. During a meeting, anyone on the call can click the “Otter.ai Live Transcript” button within their Zoom window to open up the Live Video Meeting Notes on Otter.ai’s site, and participants can then annotate them on the fly. Otter.ai quietly announced the new feature in a blog post earlier this month.  .... "