New robot concierge named “Connie” currently at the Hilton McLean, VA. IBM's Watson AI is powering a Nao robot named 'Connie' at the Hilton McLean in Virginia. Connie acts as a concierge in a new pilot which could usher in a new team of hotel robots in future. (via Green Buzz Agency/Feature Photo Service for IBM)
While robot concierge fleets are becoming a mainstay in Japanese hotels, collaboration between Hilton and IBM is bringing AI robots to America with in the hospitality industry. The result is a little Nao robot with IBM's Watson AI and Wayblazer technology which allows it to assist customers with directions, travel recommendations, and more.
This robot is named “Connie” after the founder, Conrad Hilton. Connie is a pretty sophisticated AI that uses a combination of existing software and technology that enables Connie to not only share information, but also learn as she interacts with customers. The IBM Watson API is the primary software that allows for Connie to communicate verbally, from speech to text, and text-to-speech. She's also programmed with information about hotel amenities, services, and hours.
WayBlazer is also used to enable Connie to tap into a big database of information about a local area, points of interest, directions and more. This current model is set for trial at the Hilton McLean in Virginia, but if successful we could see Connie's popping up at all Hilton locations in future.
Of course, it's hard to tell whether Connie will actually provide a rich AI, or just be able to keep a database of questions and answers handy for guests. The idea of a robot concierge seems simple to answer travellers’ numerous FAQs. However, it doesn't seem that Connie is actually able to begin to interpret emotions and other subtleties of human interaction.
While this idea seems to be an interesting gimmick to get more travellers to go to Hilton Hotels and try to stump Connie, I wonder how long this trial will last and whether it will actually be more or less efficient than hiring a human to do the same job.
What is certain is that Connie is ushering in a new trend for customer service: demonstrating that corporations are viewing innovations in robotics as an opportunity to lower operational costs and downsize human employees. One such innovation that grocery stores and other outlets keep trying to push and the dreaded self-checkout machines, which are so infuriating that they continually incite a re-enactment of scenes from Office Space (involving a sturdy baseball bat).
However, Connie seems more sophisticated and more up to the task than previous commercial robots. Hence, it begs the question of how the successful implementation of robotic workers will affect future job markets in America and globally.
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