Attending Berlin's IFA: AI and Customer Experience

It was great to attend this year’s IFA in Berlin and to see the latest offerings from some of the world’s tech giants. In addition to the dazzling display of smartwatches, e-scooters, and portable TVs; it was interesting to note the new ways AI is being applied to enhance user engagement and personalise customer experiences.  

On the show floor 

With online services and mobile apps, we unconsciously use AI every day to simplify routine tasks and keep connected to those around us. The increasing application of AI in home appliances was a focal point of this year’s event, and a huge selection of AI-enabled kitchenware gave attendees a preview of the ‘home of the future’.  

Connected ovens to cook food based on learned user preferences; smart fridges and dishwashers self-monitor to cut down on food waste and avoid malfunction. Bot Chef, an AI-powered kitchen assistant, was joined onstage by celebrity chef, Michael Roux. Activated by voice commands, Bot Chef can chop, season and stir on-demand, making food prep easy.  

New shaving devices, using AI and in-built sensors can provide personalised skincare recommendations. High resolution, 8K televisions leverage machine learning to compute requests and sync to a viewer’s preferences. In the mobile space, Huawei revealed its latest chip to power its new range of 5G phones; promising seamless connectivity and AI-enabled voice recognition.  

Takeaways   

For me, this year’s conference was about building on existing competencies. It may not have been as pivotal as previous years in terms of raw innovation, yet the abundance and variety of technology on display made it no less impressive to attend. 

Whilst AI and personalised customer experiences are hardly new trends, they’re increasingly at the heart of competitive strategy for many, as evidenced by walking through the exhibition halls at IFA. Here at Felcana, we also focus on using connected intelligence and data to provide our own users with highly targeted insights, which we believe sets us apart in our sector. We can all learn from others, and especially from those global brands at the forefront of research and development, which makes events like IFA so useful, for so many. And, as the fields of computer science and data analytics evolve, it will be interesting to see how major tech vendors continue to apply AI to differentiate themselves in years to come.