Signals & Stats

E-motional intelligence

By Jonathan Openshaw 07 : 07 : 2016 Artificial Intelligence : UBS : T Brand Studio

London – UBS has worked with The New York Times’ T Brand Studio to create interactive content exploring the future of artificial intelligence (AI).

Mimicking human emotion is one of the final frontiers of computer science and is fundamental to the success of AI
The UBS microsite integrates video, audio and text editorial alongside interactive features such as chatbots

UBS What It Takes To Be Human microsite by T Studio, London

Artificial intelligence (AI) is still a polarising topic, with brands embracing its potential even though many consumers mistrust it. To celebrate the birth centenary of AI forefather Herbert A Simon, UBS has worked with The New York Times’ T Brand Studio to explore contemporary debate around the topic.

‘The main questions we asked were how inanimate objects can be given human emotions and what impact this will have on business and beyond,’ explains T Brand Studio international editor Nelly Gocheva. ‘Current research in AI is largely devoted to developing social robots that can help, assist and look after people in our daily environments – homes, hospitals, banks, hotels, shops – in a way that is natural for humans as well as efficient.’

Alongside in-depth editorial based on interviews with leaders in the field, the microsite hosts chatbot Rose, winner of the Loebner prize for best mimicking of human traits.

The Big Picture

Rather than being seen as something nice to have, human emotion is becoming central to business strategy in the digital age. For more on this subject see our recent macrotrend The E-motional Economy.