LIVE FROM MWC25 BARCELONA: US operator Verizon targeted small-to-medium-sized businesses (SMBs) with an AI digital assistant to help them provide customers with information.
Scott Lawrence, SVP and chief product officer for Verizon Business (pictured, centre), explained the Verizon Digital Assistant uses conversational generative AI (genAI) on SMS.
“Think of this as kind of an on-ramp into an AI experience for small business,” he said. “You want to get information on what is your business hours, what’s your menu. And then it learns and it continues to build off that.”
As the digital assistant learns more about each business, its applications can grow into other areas such as payment processes.
He said Verizon is providing the technology underpinning the model and will continue to train it.
Lawrence said the digital assistant is an example of how the operator is monetising AI by bringing new services and applications to market.
Verizon is also embedding AI operations and genAI into existing products and services for enterprises through its AI Connect platform.
AI Connect uses its fibre assets, Verizon Cloud, data centres, power, space and cooling capabilities.
“There’s kind of two sides of the coin when I look at it,” he explained “One side is what we’re doing to bring more value to our customers within existing services that we provide today. So, think of our managed service portfolio.”
“On the other side of the coin, there’s a monetisation aspect of bringing new genAI services to market.”
The third leg of Verizon’s consumer-facing AI strategy is across devices using Apple Intelligence software tools or the Google-based circle to search function.
“Again, embedded AI into products and services that either derive value or monetisation,” he explained.