IP Telecom co-founder and CEO Shena Brien. Image: IP Telecom
IP Telecom CEO Shena Brien discusses how AI can be used to augment what telecom companies can offer to customers and the importance of setting proper parameters in these systems.
Industries around the world are busy adapting to the rise of AI and the benefits – and challenges – that this technology could bring.
The use of AI has been hailed as a way to improve the workflow and efficiency for staff in various industries.
On the Telecoms.com Podcast last December, Digicel founder Denis O’Brien made the prediction that telecoms companies will lose 50pc of their staff in the next five years and that AI will be integral to make up for the losses.
But not everyone fully agrees with this viewpoint. Shena Brien, the CEO of co-founder of IP Telecom, said its “very soon to say” what the impact of AI will be, but believes that the technology will “augment” what telecoms companies can provide for customers.
Brien said she is excited about the benefits for customers in particular as – on top of her usual CEO duties – she has “always been very customer facing”.
“I’m really excited about the opportunities to develop the team in-house, with the use of AI doing the basic functions, like AI interacting with the customer in an intelligent way, in a way that really doesn’t sound like AI,” Brien said.
“It’s going to upskill our workforce and allow our technical people to be to be really technical, and maybe the customer service side of things and the entry level roles.”
Looking beyond customer service, Brien spoke about some companies in the sector using digital twins technology to create a “scenario network” where they can “play around with various things like turning up power levels”, before pushing changes out to a real network.
“I love the idea of the flexibility of having almost dynamic infrastructure,” Brien said. “The idea that you only pay for what you’re actually using would be fantastic. And I can see a use for artificial intelligence in that remit.”
Integration challenges
While IP Telecom doesn’t anticipate large amounts of job losses from AI, some companies in the sector have already shared plans to dramatically alter their workforce over the next decade.
Last year, telecoms giant BT has revealed plans to cut up to 42pc of its workforce – around 55,000 staff – by 2030 to become a “leaner business with a brighter future”, while increasing its use of emerging technology such as AI. The company’s CEO told investors that he expects AI technology to replace around 10,000 BT jobs in the future.
Brien also noted that there are challenges involved in adopting AI technology, as parameters have to be set to make sure its “not interpreting things that you don’t want it to interpret”.
“I can see it getting heavily involved in SLA [service-level agreement] reporting, in regulation, reporting and helping with GDPR and helping with processes, I can see that all being very exciting and being very good and keeping us in between the lines,” Brien said. “But once those rules recess, then obviously – hopefully – they don’t have the ability to go outside of those lines.
“So it’s all in the coding. It’s all in how you set your expectations and what you’re expecting this wonderful technology to be able to do for you.”
Brien said IP Telecom’s tools have the ability to “plug in AI” but that the company has “been a bit slow to do it” due to its current mission of integrating all its systems. The company also secured €6m from Development Capital last year to support its growth and acquisition plans.
But she said AI will be “part of that process” and that AI will be plugged into different parts of the Irish business.
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