Partner Spotlight: Valantic

We offer our customers a broad network of skilled local and global partners across a wide range of leading industries. In our “Partner Spotlight” series, some of our most dedicated partners will kindly be sharing their thoughts on Conversational AI.

Please tell us briefly about your professional background and your current role? How long have you been working at your company?

I have been involved in the areas of data warehousing, business intelligence, and artificial intelligence at valantic for five years. Before that, I held a student job at IBM, where I worked intensively on the Watson portfolio (AI). I currently serve as a contact and team leader for the data science and conversational AI sectors.

What is special about your company?

The most important element in a digital world is the people. At valantic, it is very important to us to  have a good working relationship with our colleagues and business partners. Direct communication and fairness are key characteristics of our behavior.

How is your company related to Conversational AI?

For us, conversational AI is a suitable building block for advancing our customers’ digital transformation. There are a variety of points of contact with the most diverse specialist areas.

What is special about Cognigy and Cognigy.AI? What sets Cognigy apart?

According to the latest IDC MarketScape study, Cognigy.AI is currently the top conversational AI platform on the market. That's because the platform is both extremely user-friendly and powerful. The platform offers seamless integration into various back-end systems and the ability to connect it to many different communication channels, including Web, phone, social media, and mobile apps. With the Cognigy platform, a high degree of flexibility and a fast implementation can be achieved.

What do you think is the main reason why some companies still don´t use smart bots across the board?

I think there are several reasons for this. Firstly, there are certainly still several companies that underestimate the need for automation. Additionally, I believe that many companies often lack a concrete entry point that goes beyond a simple FAQ chatbot. That’s why it is appropriate to start with a small workshop for newcomers, one where suitable use cases are jointly identified and evaluated.

How do you see Conversational AI evolving in the next three years?

In line with the latest Gartner report "Hype cycle for artificial Intelligence," I would say that in 3 to 5 years we will reach the plateau of productivity, and it will be normal for many people to contact a chat or voice bot that can automatically answer various requests or even assist them right away.

On a personal note: Who would you like to meet for a chat and why? 

I would like to meet Yuval Noah Harari. I like his consistently sober view of the world almost as much as his dry humor, which he has already demonstrated in various interviews. Furthermore, we share a passion for the "Settlers of Catan" social game, which is why a joint game would certainly be very enjoyable for both of us.

And last but not least: Any favorite books, podcasts, blogs, films, series that you´d like to recommend to our readers?

There's a lot out there. Here’s a small selection.
Books: Homo Deus (Yuval Noah Harari), A Short History of Nearly Everything (Bill Bryson)
Podcasts: digital compact, Steingarts Morning Briefing
Movies: Interstellar, Ex Machina, Matrix, Her
Series: Westworld, House of Cards (US)