Latest news with #AIinvestment
Fast Company
6 days ago
- Business
- Fast Company
From hype to humanity: Driving more value with human-centered AI
In boardrooms and backroom labs, the promise of AI has morphed into modern mythology—a digital elixir promising to revolutionize industries and workforces, eliminate inefficiency, and empower businesses and humans like never before. As investments increase and headlines dominate, we find ourselves swept up in a collective fever dream—a hype cycle where AI is the universal solution to our most significant problems. According to Forrester's AI research, 67% of AI decision-makers say their organization plans to increase AI investment. With the advent of agentic AI, there seems to be even more enthusiasm about implementing it. In a June 2025 press release, Gartner reported that a poll of 3,400 IT professionals revealed that 19% said that their organization had made significant investments in agentic AI, 42% reported conservative investments, 8% had made no investments, and the remaining 31% were unsure about agentic AI investments in their organization. Beneath the hype lies a more sobering reality. Gartner analysts also predicted that 40% of agentic AI projects will be cancelled by 2027 due to costs, unclear business value, or inadequate controls. At Punchcut, we've led companies through several pivotal moments in tech evolution to achieve meaningful ROI. Our latest report, FutureView 2025: From Hype to Humanity, examines the gap between unrealistic AI expectations and results. It's a guide to ensure real drivers of revenue and profit, user satisfaction, and competitive advantage define AI initiatives. The AI revolution isn't solely about groundbreaking technology; it's fundamentally about shaping more profound and useful connections between humans and machines. By grounding AI work in human-centric principles, product teams can craft experiences that break free from the hype and deliver genuine, lasting benefits. A central insight from our work with business leaders is that AI objectives defined by human-centered needs deliver the strongest results. Real value hinges on AI's ability to enrich personal and professional activities and enable human potential. Amidst the frenzy, companies must move from hype to reality to pragmatically steer projects toward human-centered implementations. Only then will it drive loyalty and ultimate revenue growth. FOUR PRINCIPLES OF HIGH-VALUE AI Through our work, we've identified four key AI strategies for successful AI initiatives. AI implementations that follow these 'lanes' can deliver measurable returns rapidly while producing sustainable business benefits. 1. SHARED AUTONOMY The idea of completely autonomous systems is intriguing, but most users desire a feeling of control. Our findings indicate that people prefer a collaborative approach where autonomy is shared between humans and machines. Recently, we worked with a global automotive company to build an advanced in-vehicle AI agent for assisted driving. Primary testing revealed a strong preference for optional agent support over full automation. Drivers felt much more comfortable with the ability to selectively delegate tasks to AI rather than relinquishing control. This research showed that interfaces should respond to varying levels of user engagement and trust. Business Pivot: • Conduct thorough autonomy user research to uncover where automation adds value and where it can be disempowering. • Offer AI features that allow for cooperative user overrides and guidance, preserving a meaningful sense of agency. 2. AUTHENTIC RELATABILITY 'Humanizing' AI doesn't require crafting a digital clone. 'Human-like' AI captures headlines, but we've found that lifelike avatars, or agents that take on overly anthropomorphic qualities, can unsettle users. Instead, AI that focuses on clarity, transparency, and helpfulness fosters trust. In a study focused on AI companionship, we found that users consistently favored simple, utility-driven interactions over high-fidelity visual character designs. Abstract representations like voice or text were seen as more relatable than literal characters. We found that authentic, meaningful engagement stems more from tone and usefulness than from visual realism. • Resist the temptation for hyperrealism with agents. Instead, craft relatable interactions. • Use relationship design principles to shape AI interactions that feel authentic and empathetic, and build trust through utility, not appearance. 3. NATURAL IMMERSION Amid the buzz about cool new hardware devices and spatial computing, true immersion is often more about how experiences fit into everyday contexts. AI should naturally engage multiple senses—visual, auditory, and tactile—without requiring the latest trendy device. In our work with a leading consumer electronics brand, we prototyped several spatial computing concepts that enhanced desktop experiences without the need for headsets or external devices. Prototypes showed that by embedding 3D views and AI-driven interactions directly into familiar devices and workflows, we could create more intuitive and seamless forms of digital immersion. Business Pivot: • Invest in multi-modal AI interaction that engages sensory and spatial inputs to create more intuitive, natural experiences. • Integrate AI within existing products and ecosystems to amplify value at familiar touchpoints before pursuing entirely new solutions. 4. MEANINGFUL IMPACT The allure of fast AI deployment can overshadow a well-defined strategy. In the race to compete, many AI solutions have focused more on technological novelty than measurable substance. A lasting impact requires aligning AI initiatives with user needs to ensure solutions lead to quantifiable business outcomes. We observed development teams assuming AI would provide value at every stage in a user's workflow while working with a large consumer technology provider with a major AI platform. But this assumption resulted in an overloaded feature set with decreased adoption. By utilizing a human behavior value matrix, we helped developers identify a few signature moments that delivered higher, more measurable value. Also, by prototyping imagined scenarios, we were able to validate the viability of new AI within their software. Business Pivot: • Invest in proper research and design, focusing on long-term strategy and growth over short-term gains. • Prioritize use cases with meaningful ROI and user satisfaction over flashy features. Start small, prove value, and build on success. Within the AI hype cycle, where technological novelty can overshadow substance, there's an opportunity for companies to rise above the noise. The long-term potential for AI to shape industries and society is profound, yet we are in a stage where investments outweigh returns, and rapid experimentation is the norm. Now is the time for companies to step back and employ strategies that prioritize value. By embracing human-centered design principles of autonomy, relatability, immersion, and impact, companies can create AI experiences that transcend novelty and truly enhance human experiences while driving measurable ROI and business growth.
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
SoundHound AI (SOUN) Jumps 11.7% on Agentic AI Boom
SoundHound AI, Inc. (NASDAQ:SOUN) is one of . SoundHound AI rallied for a second day on Tuesday, jumping 11.69 percent to finish at $12.71 apiece as investors took path from the booming capabilities of Agentic AI. Agentic AI refers to artificial intelligence systems designed to act autonomously, make decisions, and take actions to achieve goals with limited human intervention. SoundHound AI, Inc. (NASDAQ:SOUN), which offers Agentic AI tools through voice automation, rose in line with its counterparts namely Salesforce, RingCentral, Five9, and among others. According to Zacks Research, SoundHound AI, Inc. (NASDAQ:SOUN) is set to benefit from the rising customer demand for quick service and labor shortages which are driving restaurants to adopt voice automation. A software engineer focused on a computer screen, writing code to create a conversational assistant. 'SoundHound AI anticipates 2025 revenues of $157 million to $177 million, up from last year's $84.7 million,' it said. 'SoundHound AI's 2024 booking backlog of $1.2 billion suggests strong long-term revenue growth, alongside a total addressable market (TAM) of $140 billion, indicating the potential for further expansion.' While we acknowledge the potential of SOUN as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and have limited downside risk. If you are looking for an extremely cheap AI stock that is also a major beneficiary of Trump tariffs and onshoring, see our free report on the . READ NEXT: 30 Stocks That Should Double in 3 Years and 11 Hidden AI Stocks to Buy Right Now. Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Forbes
30-06-2025
- Business
- Forbes
From Expense To Asset: How Today's AI Investments Can Save You Money
Michael Ringman is CIO at TELUS Digital (formerly TELUS International), providing digital-first, AI-fueled customer experiences. Whatever sector you're in, you've no doubt been thinking about the mounting pressures facing your business. Now more than ever, it's critical to strategically prioritize any and all investments. If you're looking for a sign to invest in generative AI (GenAI) solutions, here it is: According to a 2024 IDC–Microsoft survey of 4,000 business leaders tasked with bringing AI into their operations, for every dollar invested, you can expect to get about 3.7 times back. And that ROI is projected to climb as both GenAI and its adoption continue to grow. However, realizing this ROI takes time. According to KPMG, as reported in The CFO, "nearly 70% of leaders plan to spend between $50 million and $250 million on related [GenAI] Yet as we look to the future of GenAI, it's clear that the efficiency gains, cost savings and competitive advantages are too significant to ignore. With more successful use cases emerging and GenAI tools maturing rapidly, the question is no longer if businesses should invest in this technology, but how to do it right. Spending Money To Save Money It may feel counterintuitive to invest in new technologies when markets are facing uncertainty, but GenAI is already making tangible differences. Microsoft recently published a list of 261 success stories about how its GenAI solutions were used to save money, amplify efficiencies, drive productivity and extend the capabilities of organizations globally. Regardless of economic conditions, customers' expectations of digital experiences will never decline. If anything, those expectations will continuously rise as competitors and new market entrants set higher bars for service. Those bars are greatly influenced by companies' embrace of new and emerging technologies. Nvidia's "State of AI in Financial Services" survey notes that one of the top GenAI ROI use cases is customer experience (CX) and engagement. Notably, the report states that the use of GenAI for CX "has more than doubled, rising from 25% to 60%. This surge is driven by the increasing availability, cost efficiency and scalability of generative AI technologies for powering more sophisticated and accurate digital assistants that can enhance customer interactions." The report also says roughly two-thirds of respondents saw AI drive a 5% increase in revenue and a 5% reduction in annual costs. It also tracked an uptick in the number of companies using GenAI, and in the variety of ways the technology is used. GenAI can be deployed both as agent-facing tools to empower employees and as customer-facing solutions, including autonomous AI agents, to handle interactions independently. But these applications aren't the only ways AI drives value. Meaningfully supporting your company's ability to serve and engage customers takes a more profound and big-picture implementation across the employee experience, business operations, hiring processes and supply chain management. Only when your company is working in harmony across all departments can you fully realize the ROI potential of your AI investments. Bringing GenAI Assistants Into The Fold GenAI has changed the way companies handle communications, information, performance data and innovation. Employees are increasingly turning to GenAI tools to enhance their productivity, streamline workflows and tackle complex problems more efficiently. This is happening whether or not your company has adopted and implemented GenAI. Recently, my firm, TELUS Digital, revealed that a majority of employees depend on GenAI assistants in their day-to-day work and will use publicly available large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT if none are available internally. What's more, 57% of respondents admitted to entering sensitive information, including customer names and contact details, into publicly available GenAI assistants, making the need for a secure, enterprise-safe GenAI platform even more evident. Unsurprisingly, employees reported that GenAI assistants helped them work faster, improved their performance and reduced strain caused by repetitive tasks, but the availability of GenAI assistants also has impacts on talent acquisition and recruitment. In fact, our survey found that 44% of employees would be more likely to quit if their company didn't allow AI assistants, and 59% said they'd prioritize applying for jobs at companies that allow AI assistant usage. GenAI is becoming an increasingly crucial part of employees' day-to-day lives, and businesses can no longer simply ban the use of AI at work. Given the workforce demand for GenAI assistants, it's incumbent upon companies to embrace GenAI and work to fill skill gaps now. The Cost Of Inaction Regardless of data to the contrary, many business leaders believe GenAI may still be too risky to invest in. Choosing to delay adoption is not the safe bet some may think it is. Late adopters may experience escalating implementation costs, widening skill gaps and dissatisfaction among customers who are benefiting from AI-enabled services elsewhere. The reality is, the capabilities of safe and responsible GenAI are expanding by leaps and bounds every day. McKinsey recently noted that transparency and explainability of some of the leading LLMs doubled or tripled between 2023 and 2024, based on Stanford University's Transparency Index. GenAI is continually becoming better at accuracy, reasoning and even independent decision-making. For those considering GenAI investments, best practices dictate a few clear steppingstones: • Conduct an AI readiness assessment. • Start small with pilot projects with a fast time to value. • Develop a phased implementation strategy. • Establish clear benchmarks and KPIs for tracking ROI and other metrics. • Develop comprehensive training programs and risk and governance frameworks that include human oversight. • Work with an experienced partner to benefit from their expertise, technology and economies of scale. Taking The Leap To drive efficiencies and reduce costs on a sustainable basis means investing strategically in AI today. As our executive vice chair of the board, Jeff Puritt, previously shared, "Whether your organization is poised to thrive, highly constrained, or in a fight to survive, investments in your people, technology, and communities are measurably beneficial to the bottom line. ... Doing the right thing is the right way to inoculate your business against exogenous events, while positioning your brand for sustainable growth in even the most trying of times." Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
SBS Australia
16-06-2025
- Business
- SBS Australia
SBS News in Filipino, Monday 16 June 2025
U.S. tariff policy to be discussed in Albanese-Carney meeting at G7 summit. Industry and Innovation Minister praises Amazon's $20b AI investment in Australia. Department of Foreign Affairs reports at least 4 Filipinos in Israel injured in Iran's retaliatory air strike. SBS Filipino 16/06/2025 08:48 📢 Where to Catch SBS Filipino
