The rollout of 5G is gathering momentum, with almost one third of the UK now able to access the new network. Telecommunications companies are at a crossroads in terms of where to go next, with various considerations and options for their digital journeys ahead.

Rohit Gupta, Head of Products and Resources, Europe, Cognizant, reveals how 5G holds the key to cutting congestion on connected roads.

A new challenge from XPRIZRE seeks evidence-based models using artificial intelligence to help governments reopen their economies during the pandemic. The accelerated crowdsourced competition has a total prize purse of $500,000, with the first deadline for team registration set for 8 December 2020.

The XPRIZE Pandemic Response Challenge seeks ways to safely reopen societies amidst a pandemic.

XPRIZE, an organization that creates competitions to solve humanitarian challenges, launched the Pandemic Response Challenge on Tuesday in partnership with Cognizant.

Cognizant’s recent ‘From Eyes to Ears: Getting Your Brand Heard in the New Age of Voice’ report says that brands not paying attention to voice could already be losing out on millions yearly. And while the vast majority of companies agree that voice will become essential to their success, only 20 percent have a formal voice strategy in place.

When we look back at the Covid-19 pandemic, one of the unsung victims of the devastating virus is the touchscreen. While the virus made us wary of unhygienic surfaces, the lockdown and social isolation revived our interest in interacting with a human-sounding voice, catalysing the large-scale shift towards the voice interface.

For some years now, drone technology has been billed as the next big thing. For many, the associations that spring to mind when thinking about the technology are their uses in military defense, surveillance, awe-inspiring landscape photography, and wedding videos.

Businesses are bullish on the future of voice technology like Amazon, Apple and Google's digital assistants, with consumers relying on the contactless tools more than ever during the pandemic, according to a study by professional services company Cognizant. Exclusive local data shared with Which-50 from Cognizant’s Centre for the Future of Work shows Australian brands lead the region in voice strategy but still face privacy and skills challenges.

In the current reality, taking a step back and looking at the big picture can be daunting. The way we work has fundamentally changed and digital transformation efforts have been supercharged out of necessity.

This spending is fuelled by high expectations since they aim to drive six per cent of their revenue through voice during this period, it added.

With consumers prioritising safety, brands should focus on creating a diverse landscape of online and offline touchpoints.

Mohit Mehta, Vice President and Commercial Leader: Cloud, Infrastructure and Security – Global Growth Markets, at the digital and cloud company Cognizant discusses how IoT devices can balance security requirements with cost and complexity.

Earlier on in the COVID-19 pandemic, organisations faced myriad challenges as they sought to reopen office buildings. Temperatures would need to be scanned, density monitored, personnel distances measured, and contacts tracked. In some cases, hand-washing procedures would need enforcing, too.

With the NSW Government releasing its first-ever Artificial Intelligence (AI) Strategy and COVID-19 dramatically increasing the pace of digital transformation and the need for AI to enable that change, many businesses are wondering how to navigate the rapidly evolving technology landscape. Moreover, with AI a clear C-suite imperative, businesses must apply AI solutions in smart, economical, and ethical ways. Most importantly, they need to be human-centric.

What happens when the world is forced to hit pause? When cities, states, and entire countries come to a screeching standstill?

Why traditional companies are adopting cloud applications in a big way.

Health care and life sciences companies are using artificial and machine intelligence for better insights and improved treatment since the COVID outbreak.

In a matter of years, Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) capabilities have become critical to an organization’s functioning. As the pandemic forces organizations everywhere to accelerate their digital transformation roadmaps, the latest digital technologies such as Cloud, AI/machine learning, and internet of things (IoT) have led to a new wave of innovation with demand for plug-and-play software solutions.

AI driven solutions are becoming a competitive differentiator for banks and other financial services—delivering a highly personalized customer experience, improving decision-making and boosting operational efficiency. Yet, many financial services institutions remain in an experimental phase and will need to accelerate actual AI deployment. Otherwise, they risk being left behind by digitally native players.

Physical workspaces are set to undergo a digital transformation over the coming months. While this trend has been on the cards for some time, few predicted that health and safety would be the prime accelerator towards its adoption.

The US-based IT services firm rapidly developed new analytics tools to respond to COVID-19 at various levels of business.

With the growth of Artificial Intelligence (AI) applications in businesses comes the responsibility to apply these AI solutions in a smart, ethical and economically friendly way. Every new application of the technology brings its own unique challenges, so the need to constantly monitor AI use in business is vital. In light of this, here are five key things to consider when implementing, or even thinking about implementing, AI into your company.

As economies worldwide begin recovering from COVID-19 shutdowns, companies that safely and responsibly reopen their physical spaces at scale can have a distinct competitive advantage over those that cannot do so.

Business leaders must be sensitive to the needs and desires of workers from all walks of life and ensure all voices are heard and appreciated. In fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace, leaders create a corporate culture where every individual is valued.