The Aboitiz Group said it is taking another step in its applied research into artificial intelligence with the announcement of Elsie and Albert as its first AI-powered digital team members.
Launched at the Aboitiz Group's annual Leaders Conference in May, Elsie and Albert are human-like digital avatars that can independently express emotions and answer questions using their own voice.
The avatar showed off its abilities by responding to instructions and providing an accurate summary of the presentation when asked.
“In today's rapidly evolving technology environment, it is imperative for leaders and professionals to adapt and transform. This is why we are putting people and technology transformation at the forefront of our big transformation efforts. The seamless collaboration between human and AI colleagues is a great example of how we can build an exciting future together with smart technology,” said Dia Franco Kusba, vice president of transformation at Aboitiz Equity Ventures (AEV).
Aboitiz’s new digital team members can answer queries using a vast pool of data, and while this functionality may be reminiscent of popular, publicly available chatbots such as ChatGPT, Elsie and Albert can offer much more with context and format.
Wolfgang Merkt, vice president of transformational technologies at AEV, said the challenge with off-the-shelf chatbots such as ChatGPT is that they lack the context needed for accurate business solutions.
Meanwhile, Elsie and Albert have been specially programmed with the Philippines and the Aboitiz Group's business environment in mind, and have been populated with internal documents and data relevant to the group. The assistance they can provide is targeted, precise and specific, he said.
“[Elsie and Albert] “They can leverage the vast amount of background knowledge that we provide — that includes everything from press releases and annual reports to internal company documents and public websites — and they can look at the data and use it for their answers and synthesize information from there — so it's customized to their organization and their event, in this case,” says Merkt.
He said it's important for AI to work within an organization so that employees know everything they need to know and have access to, becoming a kind of “digital employee.”
Another defining feature of Elsie and Albert is that they have a human appearance, a visible form. Resembling two members of the Aboitiz team, Elsie and Albert greeted those in need of their services with friendly smiles and upbeat tones.
In addition to the novelty factor, Merkt said providing the AI form through an avatar makes the AI more approachable, encouraging Aboitiz team members to use Elsie and Albert's services more willingly.
“When you think about the form factor, it makes a pretty big difference. The appearance reduces friction for people to interact with it,” Merkut said.
The Aboitiz Group plans to further develop Elsie and Alberto to increase use cases within the conglomerate.
“With their ability to process, analyze and reference vast amounts of enterprise data, they could potentially fill a range of external- or internal-facing roles within organizations,” the group said.
