One day it only took Mobile World Congress (MWC), plus some previous reports from companies that were in charge of heating the environment before starting it, to realize that 5G, although it is not yet a commercial reality, is the true protagonist of this event. But also between smartphones, networks, use cases and fifth-generation technology, artificial intelligence (AI) is showing its head at this MWC. And I am going to talk about two great companies that this first day have put their credentials on the table to lead their respective sectors based on the benefits that developments in this field can bring to customers.
On the one hand, Telefónica, which together with Microsoft Corporation, has announced a strategic alliance to collaborate in innovation projects and transform the telecommunications sector. The agreement is based on the joint work already carried out both in the use of data and in the Fourth Platform of the Spanish operator, and on which new services have already been developed such as Aura, Telefónica’s digital assistant with artificial intelligence. The new agreement, they say, “will allow combining Telefónica’s next-generation networks with the Microsoft Azure AI platform to design the services that telcos will offer in the future.”
Telefónica and Microsoft will evaluate developing an ecosystem of applications, the Aura Living Apps, which are nothing other than applications built on Azure and which will run on all the operator’s devices in the home of their clients, such as Movistar Home. These applications will allow users to interact with different devices to perform common daily tasks.
Both companies will also explore working together to identify opportunities using artificial intelligence and other disruptive technologies such as blockchain, 5G or edge computing to transform services and build the networks of the future. And a working group will be created to study the application of AI and machine learning in optimizing networks, reducing costs and, consequently, promoting the transformation of the entire sector. Together they will develop proofs of concept to demonstrate how these solutions can be tailored to predictive network provisioning, capacity demand and other scenarios.
The alliance of the two companies – and this was highlighted by Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft in its presentation together with the president of Telefónica, José María Álvarez Pallete – is also part of the shared commitment on ethics and privacy of the data. Both are committed to the ethical and responsible use of customer data, both in its storage and in its use.
But if Telefónica and Microsoft were the protagonists for the announcement of this alliance to promote services based on artificial intelligence, BMW presented a revolutionary system of natural and multimodal interaction with the vehicle and its environment, which I witnessed in first person with a virtual recreation of the same. The system combines the most advanced voice command technology, with enhanced gesture control and gaze recognition, to enable true multimodal interaction for the first time. The first functions of the BMW Natural Interaction System will be available in the next BMW iNext, starting in 2021.
By precisely detecting the movement of the hands and fingers, the direction of the gesture – in addition to the type of gesture – is also registered for the first time in an extended interaction space that encompasses the entire operating environment of the driver. Spoken instructions are recorded and processed using natural language understanding. An intelligent learning algorithm, which is constantly being refined, combines and interprets complex information so that the vehicle can respond accordingly. This creates a multimodal interactive experience geared to the driver’s wishes.
With better gesture recognition and the car’s high level of connectivity, the space for interaction is no longer limited to the interior. For the first time, occupants will be able to interact with their direct surroundings, such as buildings or parking spaces. Even complex inquiries can be answered quickly and easily by pointing the finger and issuing a voice command. “What’s in this building? How long has that business been open? What’s the name of this restaurant? Can I park here? And how much does it cost?”
I had the opportunity, in addition to seeing and testing it, to speak with Christoph Grote, Senior Vice President of BMW Group Electronic, who explained to us that “customers should be able to communicate in a totally natural way with their smart and connected vehicle. They should not have to think which operational strategy to employ to get what they want. They should be able to decide freely, and the car should continue to understand them. BMW’s Natural Interaction System is also an important step for the future of autonomous vehicles, when interior design concepts They no longer focus solely on the driver’s position and the occupants have more freedom. “
Advances in the recognition and evaluation of voice commands, gestures and gaze, necessary for the natural interaction between the driver and the vehicle, are achieved through improved sensor and analytics technologies. Using an infrared light signal, the gesture camera can now capture three-dimensional hand and finger movements throughout the driver’s operating environment, and determine a precise directional vector. The high-definition camera built into the instrument panel also records the direction of the head and eyes. The technology built into the camera evaluates the images and uses them to calculate the necessary vector data, which is then processed in the vehicle. In order to interpret voice instructions quickly and reliably, in addition to gestures, the information transmitted by the driver to the vehicle in a multimodal way is combined and evaluated with the help of artificial intelligence. The algorithm responsible for the interpretation of the data in the car is continuously optimized and refined through machine learning and the evaluation of different operating scenarios.
In the future, with the help of artificial intelligence, this system will continue to progress and improved sensor technology will be able to take into account the emotions of the occupants and integrate them into the Interaction System in a meaningful way. In this way, the interaction between the driver and the vehicle will be even more personalized and adapted to any situation. Based on experience, and depending on the situation and mood, the smart assistant can decide whether to wait for instructions or to make proactive suggestions for interaction.
