AT&T Labs is one of the most vital research and product development centers in the industry. To lead this elite group requires superior technical expertise– in areas like artificial intelligence (AI), networking and data analytics – as well as top-notch management skills. Mazin Gilbert, our new vice president of Labs, embodies all those qualities. Now I've known Mazin since 2006, but he's been with AT&T for more than 20 years. Mazin has played a critical role in developing many cutting-edge digital creations we take for granted.

Over the past 60 years, artificial intelligence – or AI – has transformed with each generation. It fits right into our data-driven world. At AT&T Labs, we've been working in AI for more than 20 years. We've developed commercial offerings in speech technologies, virtual assistance, machine vision and contact center automations – to name a few areas. These technologies have been advancing image and video processing since 1995. We've also applied AI to our social media and chat analytics.