Issue 5: August 2018

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Find out how we’ve been developing a virtual study buddy for colleagues across the bank with the help of New Zealand based Soul Machines.

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Cora AI chat bot

Have you heard of Cora? Of course you have! She’s our AI chat bot powered by IBM Watson. You may have also seen Cora’s face, or more precisely the digital human avatar created in partnership with New Zealand based Soul Machines. Cora hit the headlines last year causing quite a stir inside and outside of the bank.

But what about Sofia? Nope? Well, it’s time to get acquainted…

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Using the same technology developed for our Cora bot and avatar, the team from Learning & Development have been striving to build innovation into the bank’s learning strategy and develop our very own ‘digital learning facilitator’.

In the ‘real world’ people are increasingly using digital and mobile devices to source knowledge and information on TED, YouTube, Wikipedia, LinkedIn etc. We’re demanding less time in the classroom and more on the go learning that can fit around our professional and personal lives.

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The aim is that Sofia will become a mobile study buddy for colleagues across the bank, offering bespoke learning experiences unique to the individual. Just imagine… gone are the quarterly learning reminders, replaced with a morning commute chat with Sofia, before blocking out some time with her for a catch up on quantum computing in the afternoon.

We’re still in the early stages of development with Sofia, testing what the technology can do, understanding environmental factors, and building her vocabulary, capability and confidence.

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Could we create a blended learning environment across the bank with virtual facilitation spaces overseen by Sofia? The possibilities are endless, and every day’s a school day, so we’ll continue to learn as Sofia does.

For now if you’d like to get involved in the testing and pilot stages check out the XXX Workplace page for updates about test groups.

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For more from Soul Machines be sure to tune in to Disrupt2.0 on 16 August, where Chief Business Officer, Greg Cross, will explore our developing relationship with them, and talk about how they’re embedding human DNA into their avatars to make them smarter and more relatable.