LIBERTY GLOBAL
34 top – do I understand speech and free text ? – that ’ s one value , and the other is self-learning . In the future there will be convergence , but you ’ ve got to find the right AI for the right circumstance . It ’ s key that we don ’ t get tied into the wrong AI .” This is where the layers Macdonald talks about come in to build a digital enterprise . “ You have to be able to put in and remove building blocks of digital capability as they develop , and you achieve this by being disciplined in the way you store data and knowledge . I think AI is going to be massive ,” he adds . “ I know people say it ’ s over-hyped but I think in the next two or three years it will be absolutely key to detailed personalisation .”
In this area , a particularly productive relationship has been with Afiniti , which worked alongside Liberty to improve Virgin Media ’ s contact centres . Afiniti utilises AI to allow a customer to be assigned with the correct profile of agent so the optimum conversation can take place for both consumer and business . Afiniti has an interesting offering beyond just care calls : they have a powerful data science capability . In a digital world , data is everything but
the ability to run the data science on that is a key need in every market .
“ Shouldn ’ t everything be a conversation ? You can solve anything through a conversation ,” says Macdonald . “ If I have a question or a need , I just want to ask someone for the answer and the whole journey can be led through a conversation . It ’ s much easier for everyone .” In this way , Macdonald is
FEBRUARY 2019