In the battle for best-in-class customer experience and innovation, incumbents still come up short compared with today's agile new players. Banks are grappling with a bloated technology infrastructure that isn't aging gracefully, creating mid- and back-office ineffectiveness. With historically low proactive investment from banks in IT enhancements, many firms find it challenging to provide customers with the expected last-mile experience. Did you know that middle-office employees use around 80% of their time to gather data from systems, but use only 20% to analyze the data to make sound decisions? In my view, these mid-office bottlenecks, coupled with pandemic setbacks and challenges to economic growth across the globe, are making banks' digital transformation journey steep, yet imperative to serve customers well. According to Capgemini COVID research, 57% of consumers turned to digital banking at the onset of the pandemic and say they will continue even after the crisis resolves.

These and many other insights are from Capgemini Research Institute's research of enterprises' AI pilot, production and spending during the pandemic provide insights into what differentiates AI-at-scale leaders versus organizations struggling to get results. The AI-powered enterprise: Unlocking the potential of AI at scale is based on 950 interviews with AI leaders in enterprises with annual revenues between $1B to $25B, distributed across 11 nations. The study was completed in March and April 2020. For additional details on the methodology, please see pages 31 and 32. Capgemini has made the report available for free download here (PDF, 40 pp, no opt-in).

Are our bank accounts secure? Are our phone systems secure? These are all questions we ask ourselves on a daily basis and despite much wariness around the safety of technology, when we are in need of help about a delivery or service, we, without much question, hand over personal details to chatbots. Chatbots have been designed to make our lives a little easier, with simple verification questions they can answer common customer service inquiries without the need to sit on hold waiting for an agent. But with the rise of GDPR, it is important for organisations to communicate to customers how the data that we provide Artificial Intelligence (AI) driven chatbots is being used and stored.

Artificial intelligence (AI) can make cybersecurity better than ever – except, of course, that cybercriminals can also leverage these same technologies to identify and exploit vulnerabilities faster and more effectively. Is an AI arms race now inevitable? To some extent, cybersecurity has always resembled an arms race. As new threats are devised, security teams quickly adapt and try to stay one step ahead of the hackers. This is becoming harder to manage, however.

Some time back, I had a doctor's appointment which I booked via an app. On reaching the center, which was run by a well-known fitness platform, I was told that they would collect my vitals (pulse, temperate, heart rate, and blood pressure, among others) before I could meet the doctor. I was also asked to sign a printed copy of terms and conditions, which read that they could share any and all information collected with any third parties. Additionally, when asked about the privacy policy, I was told that it was not available. This experience points to few of the many problems that exist within the idea of informed user/consumer consent, as shown above.

Imagine you've applied for a job or for a loan, and you're told you're unsuccessful. You're curious as to why, and so you use GDPR legislation to request access to the information the company holds on you. You obtain your data – and at the same time, you discover that the decision was made using artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms that screened out your application for no obvious reason. You discover that AI is being used for surveillance purposes at your place of work – and also that your employer is collecting and processing data relating to your health history using AI algorithms. In neither case has your consent been sought or obtained.

Rapid advances in AI and machine learning are defining cybersecurity's future daily. Identities are the new security perimeter and Zero Trust Security frameworks are capitalizing on AI's insights to thwart breaches in milliseconds. Advances in AI and machine learning are also driving the transformation of endpoint security toward greater accuracy and contextually intelligence. Gartner predicts $137.4B will be spent on Information Security and Risk Management in 2019, increasing to $175.5B in 2023, reaching a CAGR of 9.1%. Cloud Security, Data Security, and Infrastructure Protection are the fastest-growing areas of security spending through 2023.

Paris, October 17, 2019 – As new technologies automate more traditional and routine tasks, executives and employees recognise that emotional intelligence (EI) skills – such as self-awareness, self-management, social awareness and relationship management – will be a key requisite for success in the years to come. While demand for EI skills is set to increase by six times in the next 3-5 years, recruitment and training in this area has mostly failed to adapt. This is set to leave many companies unable to reap the benefits EI offers in terms of employee satisfaction, revenue generation, lower attrition and cost reductions. The "Emotional intelligence – the essential skillset for the age of AI" report from the Capgemini Research Institute provides a global look at how companies view EI and recommends that they combine technology with talent to develop relevant skills among their employees. As more traditional and routine tasks become automated, organisations are placing a premium on EI skills, from self-awareness to relationship management and communication.

The retail industry is undergoing a sea change so massive that many industry insiders have termed it the "retail apocalypse." In a sign of this industry upheaval, in 2018 major retailers closed 5,524 stores in the U.S. and 1,432 stores in the U.K., according to figures compiled by the Coresight Research, a firm that studies the retail industry.1 In some good news for the industry, Coresight predicts that 2019 "will not be the year of retail apocalypse or even decline. Instead, it will be a year of reinvention -- for the retail sector as a whole and for physical stores in particular."2 This predicted reinvention of the industry stems in part from the use of sophisticated technology, specifically artificial intelligence.

Paris, July 5, 2019 – The ethical use of AI is becoming fundamental to winning people's trust, a new study from the Capgemini Research Institute has found. As organizations progress to harness the benefits of AI, consumers, employees and citizens are watching closely and are ready to reward or punish behavior. Those surveyed said that they would be more loyal to, purchase more from, or be an advocate for organizations whose AI interactions are deemed ethical. Companies using AI in an ethical way will be rewarded: Among consumers surveyed, 62% said they would place higher trust in a company whose AI interactions they perceived as ethical, 61% said they would share positive experiences with friends and family, 59% said that they would have higher loyalty to the company, and 55% said that they would purchase more products and provide high ratings and positive feedback on social media. By contrast, when consumers' AI interactions result in ethical issues, it threatens both reputation and the bottom line: 41% said they would complain in case an AI interaction resulted in ethical issues, 36% would demand an explanation and 34% would stop interacting with the company.