Three years later in 2016, enough time has passed to discern patterns from trends. In that time the industry has experienced seismic shifts and a sweeping wave of consolidation. So let's take another look at the state of the digital nation and why, for the bold, great opportunity lies ahead. There's plenty of additional reading in the links for those who want to go down the rabbit hole, as well as a reference table at the end. Happy to continue the discussion on Twitter using the hashtag #DigitalNation at @ezyjules and @marvelapp. A sweeping wave of acquisitions has decimated the ranks of independent agencies and formed two clashing clans. On the one side are the giants of advertising and marketing and on the other the titans of management consultancy. Meanwhile the market over which they are fighting is in the midst of a multi-faceted existential crisis. Over the last four years the design consultancy industry has experienced an unprecedented period of consolidation, building to a ...

If the global professional services company has its way, digital workers may be just around the corner. Accenture has partnered with IT and business process automation company IPsoft to create artificially intelligent technology to perform a variety of tasks at enterprises worldwide. This new AI arm of Accenture is based on IPsoft's cognitive agent, Amelia, which IPsoft bills as "your first digital employee." Amelia, which uses natural language to communicate with customers "just like a human," can perform a host of service desk duties. This can include helping customers open new bank accounts, processing insurance claims and checking in patients at hospitals.

As we saw in our first blog post on AI Everywhere and Nowhere, defining'Artificial Intelligence' is like trying to hit a disappearing target. As soon as any aspect of AI gains widespread adoption, people fail to distinguish it as an AI technology, and it dissolves into the sea of general technology. As a result, most detractors of AI, at least until recently, have questioned the real-world applications of AI. In turn, AI never gains the respect and recognition it needs to evolve and reach its full potential. The beauty (and bane) of AI is that it is everywhere and yet nowhere – it is becoming ubiquitous in all of our interactions (at least all of our'virtual interactions'), yet most people fail to recognize and respect it.

Global services juggernaut Accenture is partnering with IT and business process automation specialist IPsoft to build a new Accenture practice dedicated to bringing the power of artificial intelligence (AI) to global enterprises. Earlier this week, the partners announced the creation of an Accenture Amelia practice built around IPsoft's Amelia cognitive agent, an AI that emulates human intelligence and can communicate with natural language. IPsoft has positioned Amelia as "your first digital employee" -- one that can take on a wide range of service desk roles. "This cutting-edge new practice is going to give our clients more artificial intelligence firepower by accelerating their ability to apply AI to significantly improve their operations and create new growth opportunities for their business," says Paul Daugherty, CTO, Accenture. "One of the ways Accenture is going to do this is by using IPsoft's Amelia Platform to develop artificial intelligence strategies, solutions and consulting services for our clients in the banking, insurance and travel industries."

Accenture and IPSoft have launched a new practice called Accenture Amelia Practice (AAP), a new business unit aimed at helping clients adopt artificial intelligence in business. Accenture claims that AAP will help organisations in improving their business outcomes and create new growth opportunities. The company said that it will develop an array of go-to-market strategies, solutions and consulting service offerings for the deployment of virtual agent technology for clients across several industries. In the initial stages, the business unit will cater to clients in banking, insurance and travel industries with its virtual agent technology. Accenture chief technology officer, Paul Daugherty said: "Artificial intelligence is maturing rapidly and offers great potential to reshape the way that organisations conduct business and interact with their customers and employees. "At the same time, executives are overwhelmed by the plethora of technologies and many products that are advertising AI or Cognitive capabilities.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is gaining momentum across industries with the help of companies such as IBM, Google, and Microsoft. McKinsey & Company estimates that as much as 45% of the tasks currently performed by people can be automated using current technologies -- not only low-level rote tasks, but high-level knowledge work as well. "Our point of view is that there is no function, no industry, almost no role that won't potentially be affected by this set of technologies -- not just every occupation, but every activity within each occupation," said Michael Chui, a partner with McKinsey Global Institute, in an interview. "It's not just automating the labor that's being done, but the work people do will have to change as well. Understanding how to take advantage of these technologies is going to be critically important."

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is gaining momentum across industries with the help of companies such as IBM, Google, and Microsoft. McKinsey & Company estimates that as much as 45% of the tasks currently performed by people can be automated using current technologies – not only low-level rote tasks, but high-level knowledge work as well. "Our point of view is that there is no function, no industry, almost no role that won't potentially be affected by this set of technologies – not just every occupation, but every activity within each occupation," said Michael Chui, a partner with McKinsey Global Institute, in an interview. "It's not just automating the labor that's being done, but the work people do will have to change as well. Understanding how to take advantage of these technologies is going to be critically important."

This story was delivered to BI Intelligence Apps and Platforms Briefing subscribers. To learn more and subscribe, please click here. Consulting firm Accenture has announced a partnership with artificial intelligence software company, IPsoft, aimed at spurring the use of AI in the enterprise, ZDNet reports. The deal will see Accenture integrate IPsoft's AI program, Amelia, into a new business unit called Accenture Amelia. Amelia is similar to other virtual assistants such as Apple's Siri or Amazon's Alexa, however, IPsoft's program is reportedly more expressive and capable of showing empathy than other programs.

Management consulting company Accenture has teamed up with IT automater IPsoft to launch an artificially intelligent agent called Amelia, who has been designed to encourage companies to embrace machine learning. Similar to Apple's Siri, Amelia will tackle client queries in "conversational" language, answering questions and managing processes. For example, she is able to help customers open bank accounts, or check out insurance policies. She will also be on hand to help employees within businesses, providing internal services like HR and guiding staff on company policies. As well as boasting natural language capabilities, Amelia has an element of machine learning - meaning she can be taught how to carry out various functions, like answering calls, via a simple uploading process.

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