We are all familiar with the idea of AI or Artificial Intelligence. As of today, we are a long way off from talking sentient robots, but it is fun to think about. There are plenty of films about the topic. For example, who could forget the AI characters in films, such as HAL from ‘2001 Space Odessy’ or Samantha from ‘Her’?
The closest thing we have at the moment are personal digital assistants. These services can be anything from voice activated, such as Siri, to a ditigal reminder service such as Google Now. Or a mix of a personal and professional organiser like Microsoft’s Cortana. None of them are sentient. They can only respond as programed.
What are the value of services like these? What if you had an important business flight in the morning and Google Now confirmed that your flight was leaving on time. Or what if you had a long drive across town to your next meeting? Cortana could let you know that traffic was backed up on the route you selected to travel and tell you to leave 15 minutes early.
The apps without true AI capabilities are only as good as the information you give it. This means that they must be synced to your calendar and emails to be aware of events and changes as they come in.
If you would like more information about the types of personal assistant apps out there check out the reviews, such as this one from Mashable. It is important to test a few before you find the one which suites you and your business needs. Services like Siri and Cortana are part of the operating systems for Apple and Microsoft phones respectively. There are also stand alone apps which can be downloaded from iTunes or Google Play, such as Google Now.
If you decide to give any of these apps a try let us know. What is working well? What are some fun tips and tricks for getting the best out of your service? Let us know on Twitter or our LinkedIn Page or email us. We would like to hear how your technology is working for you.
