Chief Technology Officer for Techniche, Tom Caldwell, recently made a guest appearance on the Seamless Podcast.
Hosted by Darin Andersen, the show explores the requirements for creating a Smart City, and the technologies and skills that come into play when bringing this concept to life.
Tom introduced Techniche, and its two products, Statseeker and Urgent, briefly touching on how they continue to help global organisations with their network monitoring and facilities management.
The podcast covered topics such as completely automated service stations, enhanced customer experiences through customisation, and building privacy into software design.
Speaking about the benefits of a digital transformation in petrol retail and the role of IoT, Tom addressed concerns about the current rate of unemployment and how emerging technologies may be perceived as a threat by workers.
“AI and robotics should augment humans and help them to do a better job rather than replace their job,” said Tom.
He goes on to explain that IoT assets will always depend on humans for maintenance and continuous improvement, the goal being to enhance people’s quality of life through connected technologies.
IoT presents a paradigm shift for operational teams and requires collaboration to tackle challenges around security, improved customer experiences, and the identification of actionable insights in the data being monitored. In response to privacy concerns, Tom believes that AI needs guard rails to ensure that boundaries are never overstepped. Of course, privacy is perceived differently by individuals around the world, with some consumer groups prioritising customisation and therefore showing greater leniency when sharing data with businesses and governments – finding the right balance is key.
With image recognition and natural language processing being amongst the most used AI tools at the moment, it’s evident that businesses are gearing up for automation and more in-depth understanding of infrastructural systems to deliver better user experiences. To hear the discussion for yourself and learn more about Techniche’s role in supporting key industry players with their digital transformation, tune into the Seamless Podcast here.