Artificial Intelligence
N.C. A&T, Sodexo and Starship Technologies Launch State’s First Autonomous Campus Food Delivery Service
East Greensboro, N.C., Oct. 25, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University and its food services provider, Sodexo, have partnered with Starship Technologies to roll out the university’s food delivery service via autonomous robots. A&T is the first historically Black college or university (HBCU) to partner with Starship, as well as its first partnership in North Carolina.
Starship’s fleet of 20 autonomous, on-demand robots will deliver from three campus eateries: Qdoba, 1891 Bistro and the new Paavo’s Pizza with the goal to expand additional retail locations by next spring. A&T’s students, faculty and staff can now use the Starship Food Delivery app (iOS and Android) to order food and drinks to be delivered on campus, within minutes.
“As a STEM university, A&T and Sodexo’s partnership with Starship Technologies’ autonomous delivery robots falls right in line with what we are about,” said Angela Peterson, associate vice chancellor for Campus Enterprises. “We are incredibly excited to provide this service to our students to help minimize wait times and do it using a real-world application of technology similar to what some of our students are studying.”
The service will be free of delivery fees, which will be covered for students by the university for two years and works in conjunction with student meal plans.
“We are excited to be the first to bring this innovative service to a historically black college and university campus,” said Joseph Burdi, Sodexo district manager for North Carolina A&T Dining Services. “The program will provide added convenience for today’s busy students and meet their increased dining expectations.”
“Everyone on campus loves the robots and looks forward to using them,” said Student Food Advisory Board President Brandon Daye. “They will really come in handy when the weather is bad or if you want to grab food or snacks in between classes.”
Starship Technologies’ zero-emission robots use a combination of sophisticated machine learning, artificial intelligence and sensors to travel on sidewalks and navigate around obstacles. The computer vision-based navigation helps the robots to map their environment to the nearest inch. The robots can cross streets, climb curbs, travel day and night and operate in both rain and snow. A team of humans can also monitor their progress remotely and can take control at a moment’s notice.
“We’re really looking forward to serving the students, faculty and staff at A&T,” said Ryan Tuohy, Senior Vice President of Business Development and Sales at Starship Technologies. “We look for university partners that embrace innovation and A&T has that in spades. Because of the focus on STEM, we think the campus community will not only appreciate seeing this innovation firsthand, but they’ll also love the convenience that the service provides. We’re also looking forward hiring student workers who will get real-world experience in AI.”
To get started, users open the Starship Deliveries app, choose from a range of their favorite food or drink items, then drop a pin where they want their delivery to be sent. They can then watch as the robot makes its journey to them, via an interactive map. Once the robot arrives, they receive an alert, and can then meet and unlock it through the app. The delivery usually takes just a matter of minutes, depending on the menu items ordered and the distance the robot must travel. Each robot can carry up to 20 pounds.
The robot delivery company is already providing services to other Sodexo-serviced campuses across the country, including George Mason University, Embry Riddle Aeronautical University and Northern Arizona University.
About North Carolina A&T State University
North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University is the nation’s largest historically Black university, as well as its top ranked (Money magazine, Best Colleges; Washington Monthly College Guide and Rankings). It is a land-grant, doctoral university, classified as “high research” by the Carnegie Foundation and a constituent member of the University of North Carolina System. A&T is known for its leadership in producing graduates in engineering, agriculture and other STEM fields. The university was founded in 1891 and is located in Greensboro, North Carolina.
About Sodexo North America
Sodexo North America is part of a global, Fortune 500 company with a presence in 64 countries. Sodexo is a leading provider of integrated food, facilities management and other services that enhance organizational performance, contribute to local communities and improve quality of life for millions of customers in corporate, education, healthcare, senior living, sports and leisure, government and other environments daily. The company employs 125,000 people at 8,000 sites in all 50 U.S. states and Canada, and indirectly supports tens of thousands of additional jobs through its annual purchases of $14B in goods and services from small to large businesses. Sodexo is committed to supporting diversity and inclusion and safety, while upholding the highest standards of corporate responsibility and ethical business conduct. In support of local communities across the U.S., in 2020, the Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation mobilized 10,000 Sodexo volunteers to distribute 4.1 million meals to help 5.9 million children and adults meet their immediate food needs. Since 1996, the Stop Hunger Foundation has contributed $36.7 million to help feed children in America impacted by hunger. To learn more about Sodexo, visit us.sodexo.com, and connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube.
About Starship Technologies
Starship Technologies is revolutionizing deliveries with autonomous robots. The robots are designed to deliver food, groceries and packages locally in minutes. The delivery robots have traveled millions of miles and completed over 2m autonomous deliveries around the world. They drive autonomously but are monitored by humans who can take control at any time. Starship was founded by Ahti Heinla and Janus Friis (Skype Chief Architect and Co-founder) and Alastair Westgarth is the CEO.
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SINGAPORE, July 2, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Wavenet, a pioneering technology company renowned for its advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) and digital transformation, showcased its innovative prowess at the DTW – Ignite 2024 event. This prestigious gathering of global telecom industry leaders highlighted the pivotal role of AI and emerging trends reshaping the telecommunications landscape.
As a trailblazer with over two decades of expertise in digitising and transforming global telecom operations, Wavenet’s CEO, Suren Pinto, captivated the audience at the ‘AI at Scale’ forum. His presentation, titled ‘Copilot to Autopilot – A Telco’s AI Roadmap for Hyperconnected CX,’ detailed Wavenet’s cutting-edge Contact Center AI solutions that are revolutionising major telecom companies in Colombia, Cambodia, and Bolivia. Pinto underscored the transformative potential of intelligent and immersive customer experiences in a world driven by convenience and hyperconnectivity. He explained how integrating Copilot and Autopilot technologies is set to redefine telco roadmaps, ushering in a seamless and intuitive future for customer interactions. Additionally, Pinto demonstrated the future potential of customer experience (CX) with Apple Vision Pro-led demonstrations, showcasing the confluence of intelligent and immersive technology.
Reflecting on the event, Wavenet VP of Marketing and Communications, Peumi Rodrigo, expressed, “Returning to DTW in Copenhagen this year was a tremendous opportunity that solidified our positioning as a Bronze Partner. We received phenomenal feedback on our telecom solutions. Our state-of-the-art contact centre AI, zero-touch digital marketplace, and next-gen low-code/no-code development studio applications exemplify our commitment to revolutionising the telecom industry at an exponential pace. Our focus on intelligent and immersive customer experiences, combined with our array of value-added solutions and trusted by customers globally with continuous innovations, positions us to drive significant industry transformation.”
Wavenet’s innovative excellence was further recognised at DTW with the prestigious Open Innovation Catalyst Award for the ‘Gen AI Powered Toolkit for Network and Service Management.’ This groundbreaking initiative, in collaboration with key industry players such as Clarity Global, du, Mobily, Mobitel (Pvt) Ltd, PLDT, Smart Communications, Inc., Sri Lanka Telecom, Telekom Malaysia, Tech Mahindra, Nart Informatics – TechNarts, Telia, TurkNet, and Waylay, aims to revolutionise network resource management, ensuring peak performance and customer satisfaction through generative AI-based solutions.
With strategically located offices in Singapore, Colombia, Africa, Australia, Malaysia, Romania, and Sri Lanka, Wavenet is a global ISV dedicated to driving intelligent digital transformation across the telecommunications and digital enterprise sectors, influencing billions of users worldwide.
Contact:
Wavenet: [email protected]
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Artificial Intelligence
Gupshup collaborates with Philippines’ leading Neobank Tonik, offers Generative AI chatbot to bring innovation in digital banking
SINGAPORE and MANILA, Philippines, July 2, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Gupshup, the world’s leading Conversation Cloud today announced its partnership with Tonik Bank, the first digital-only neobank in the Philippines, to develop a state-of-the-art Generative AI chatbot for Tonik’s mobile app. The innovative solution aims to provide Tonik’s customers with instant and accurate answers to frequently asked questions, revolutionizing the way they interact with their bank.
The Generative AI chatbot, powered by Gupshup’s advanced natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning (ML) technologies, is designed to understand and respond to customer queries with human-like precision and empathy. By leveraging the latest advancements in AI, the chatbot can engage in contextual conversations, providing personalized and relevant information to each customer.
Tonik is the first digital bank in the Philippines to leverage Generative AI for customer service. By integrating the chatbot into their mobile app, Tonik Bank aims to provide their customers with instant access to information, reducing wait times and improving overall satisfaction.
“The integration of Gupshup’s ACE LLM into our operations has been truly transformative. We’ve witnessed significant value in its ability to automate routine tasks, elevate customer service, and boost our overall efficiency. This technology has the potential to revolutionize our operations, and we are excited to further explore its capabilities and implement it across our business,” said Sateesh Reddy, Deputy Chief Technology Officer of Tonik Bank.
Since the implementation of Gupshup’s technology, nine out of ten customer queries are now directed through Tonik’s in-app chat feature, where the AI autonomously resolves 75% of the queries without human intervention. This has not only amplified the efficiency of Tonik’s in-house customer care team by 4.3 times but also empowered them to dedicate more time to resolving intricate issues, ensuring that customers receive the personalized support they need.
The Generative AI chatbot solution is expected to generate significant cost savings for Tonik, with an estimated total of over USD 20 million over the next three years.
“Our partnership with Tonik Bank exemplifies the future of BFSI. As the sector evolves, Gen AI will be crucial to deliver seamless, personalized, and efficient customer experiences. Our chatbot solution is designed to do just that, empowering banks like Tonik to focus on what matters most – building strong relationships with their customers,” said Beerud Sheth, Co-founder and CEO of Gupshup.
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The global contextual advertising company enters the Australian market with acquisition of JustEggs, expanding its footprint in the APAC region
SYDNEY, July 2, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Seedtag, the global leader in contextual advertising, announced today that the company has acquired JustEggs, an Australian-owned creative intelligence business that drives measurable digital solutions for brands and advertisers. The acquisition is a strategic move to support business growth across the APAC region by introducing Seedtag’s proprietary contextual AI technology, Liz, to the Australian market.
Founded in 2013, JustEggs specialises in leveraging its innovative digital solutions to create engaging campaigns that offer true value for brands and advertisers. Starting in July, JustEggs will integrate Seedtag’s privacy-first targeting technologies into its offering to further enhance its advertising solutions, providing more targeted and effective campaigns for its clients through the power of contextual AI. To ensure a smooth integration of both technologies, Seedtag and JustEggs will work closely together while delivering a seamless experience to their partners. JustEggs’ CEO and Founder, Nik Kontoulas, will remain with the company, assuming the role of Managing Director ANZ.
The number of internet users in Australia is expected to exceed 23.3 million by 2025, achieving an impressive internet penetration rate of over 89% – according to Statista. For Seedtag, entering the Australian market was a natural step toward fulfilling its mission of becoming the contextual partner for brands, agencies, and publishers. Australia will now benefit from privacy-first advertising that reaches consumers through their real-time interests at scale. This launch follows Seedtag’s successful market entries in India and Peru in 2023 and Canada in 2024.
For over a decade, Seedtag has been developing its in-house contextual AI technology, Liz, to meet the ever evolving needs of the adtech industry. In 2024, Seedtag was awarded “Best Contextual Targeting Offering” at Digiday Media Awards. The acquisition of JustEggs increases Seedtag’s presence to a total of 17 markets.
“The acquisition of JustEggs is a clear example of Seedtag’s willingness to continue its international expansion into the APAC region,” said Albert Nieto, Co-CEO & Co-Founder of Seedtag. “We are very excited to partner with one of the best teams in our industry to bring contextual intelligence to new heights.”
“Teaming up with Seedtag thrusts us into a fresh era of digital advertising innovation for the ANZ market,” said Nik Kontoulas, founder of JustEggs. “With their proprietary tech and global reach, we’re geared up for success in a cookieless world and beyond. It’s an exciting journey ahead.”
“Australia is a very sophisticated, data and technology-led market, and we have much to contribute to this local digital advertising industry,” said Dal Gill, VP of New Markets at Seedtag. “Following our successful entry into India, this is the second market we have opened in the APAC region. I’m confident that our unique contextual advertising solutions will greatly benefit Australian brands and publishers in achieving their advertising goals while meeting the demand for privacy-first, scalable targeting.”
About Seedtag
Seedtag is the leading contextual advertising company that creates highly impactful and engaging digital ads within relevant premium content, powering targeting and returns for top publishers and the finest brands. The company’s contextual AI, Liz, allows brands to engage with consumers within their universe of interest on a cookie-free basis.
Seedtag was founded in Madrid in 2014 by two ex-googlers who wanted to get the most out of editorial images. Today, it is a global company with more than 600 employees and a significant international presence, with offices in Spain, France, Italy, UK, Benelux, Germany, Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, Argentina, Chile, UAE, Peru, Canada, US, India and Australia.
About JustEggs
Founded in 2013 JustEggs specialize in the convergence of creative, media and data, helping 100+ brands drive customer acquisition and retention.
The mission always remains to evolve the digital ad market with effective and measurable digital ad solutions that drive relevancy for consumers and real world results for retail marketers.
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View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/seedtag-enters-australian-market-with-acquisition-of-justeggs-302186843.html
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