This past week more than 5,000 people made their way to Las Vegas to learn that the biggest bet they need to place has nothing to do with casino games. It's a bet that will help business with their processes, workflows and the customer experience (CX). PegaWorld is the annual Pegasystems user conference where people representing companies from all over the world learn about the latest and greatest updates to the Pega applications that are helping to run their businesses, and I was honored to be invited to not just attend, but speak at the event. By the way, the robots I mentioned aren't the machines you might see on a manufacturing assembly line or something that looks like R2D2 from Star Wars that wheels around and takes care of simple physical tasks. These robots, otherwise known as robotic process automation (RPA), are the software applications that automatically take care of routine tasks you perform on your computer.

Move over Pega CRM Suite, Pega Infinity is here. That was the big announcement at PegaWorld 2018 this morning. In March 2017, CMO Tom Libretto told me that Pega, the global BPM and "operational excellence" leader was putting CRM first. In those 15 months, the space and the technology have evolved so fast that the term CRM just doesn't cover it any more. As Pega CTO Don Schuerman told me, in a press briefing yesterday, "You can't deploy a new customer experience solution without automating the process behind that. The lines between traditional CRM, traditional BPM apps, and robotic automation will continue to blur."

Artificial intelligence is no longer the stuff of science fiction, but is now front-and-center in the digital strategies of many organizations. Information Management spoke with Don Schuerman, chief technology officer and vice president of product marketing at Pegasystems, at the Gartner ITxpo conference in Orlando on what for data management and analytics, and how vendor companies are responding. Information Management: What are the most common themes you heard from conference participants? But moreover, they are looking for guidance as to how they can apply AI to their businesses. With emerging experience channels like chatbots and virtual assistants, enterprises want to satisfy their customers'digital expectations' by connecting them back to their existing CRM and legacy environment.

A majority of consumers are confused about what artificial intelligence really does, and have misplaced fears that inhibit them from embracing AI-based technology, according to a new study. Despite that, "these fears are often eased once they gain firsthand AI experience – which ironically many enjoy today without even realizing it," notes the study, conducted by Pegasystems Inc. In a survey of 6,000 customers in six countries, Pegasystems found that consumers appear hesitant to fully embrace AI devices and services. Only one in three (36 percent) are comfortable with businesses using AI to engage with them – even if this typically results in a better customer experience. "Almost three quarters (72 percent) express some sort of fear about AI, with one quarter (24 percent) of respondents even worried about robots taking over the world," the study finds.

New Delhi, Most customers are confused about the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and are, therefore, reluctant to embrace this new technology, a study said on Friday. Released by US-based software firm Pegasystems, it revealed that these fears are often eased once the users gain firsthand AI experience -- which ironically many enjoy without even realising it. "Our study suggests the recent hype is causing some confusion and fear among consumers, who may not really understand how it's already being used and helping them every day," said Don Schuerman, Vice President (Product Marketing) Pegasystems. The study that involved 6,000 customers in six countries found that consumers were hesitant to fully embrace AI devices and services. "Only 36 per cent are comfortable with businesses using AI to engage with them. Almost 72 per cent express some sort of fear about AI," the study found.

Most customers are confused about the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and are, therefore, reluctant to embrace this new technology, a study said. Released by US-based software firm Pegasystems, it revealed that these fears are often eased once the users gain firsthand AI experience -- which ironically many enjoy without even realizing it. "Our study suggests the recent hype is causing some confusion and fear among consumers, who may not really understand how it's already being used and helping them every day," said Don Schuerman, Vice President (Product Marketing) Pegasystems. The study that involved 6,000 customers in six countries found that consumers were hesitant to fully embrace AI devices and services. "Only 36 percent are comfortable with businesses using AI to engage with them. Almost 72 percent express some sort of fear about AI," the study found.

Most people think they know what the term "artificial intelligence" means, based on the results of a survey Pegasystems released Tuesday. However, their responses suggested that they probably don't fully understand how it's being used today, including in the customer service realm. Researchers polled 6,000 adult consumers in the United States, the UK, the Netherlands, France and Germany. Seventy-two percent of the survey participants said they understood what was meant by "artificial intelligence." While 32 percent said they weren't sure if they had interacted with AI, 34 percent said they had.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is simultaneously overhyped, misunderstood, and already hugely impactful, according to Pegasystems CTO Don Schuerman, who said many organisations were already successfully using the technology before it became an industry buzzword. Schuerman told ZDNet that he has been encouraging his clients to take a look at what pragmatic AI technologies they can employ to deliver real benefits to how they interact with customers, rather than succumbing to the hype. The best example is what the Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) is doing, he said. "They've got Pegasystems' product called the Customer Decision Hub, which uses predictive analytics and adaptive or self-learning analytics to figure out in real time what the best offer or service is, or recommendations are, to put in front of a customer either to improve their satisfaction rate and retention rate, for example," he explained. In implementing the technology, CBA has increased its branch sell rates by 13 percent, which Schuerman said is a significant impact to the business.