INTERVIEW: While enthused on the potential of AI within the telecommunications sector moving forward, Liberty Global CEO Mike Fries (pictured) highlighted difficulties around finding talent in the segment.
He noted his company was “investing quite a bit in AI”, but described the technology as still in its early days with truly transformational applications still to come.
Current use cases are “just scratching the surface”, Fries told Mobile World Live, citing examples which would “save us one to two per cent of opex” or “be small improvements to our call handling time”.
“But I’m really excited about what the future is going to bring for AI,” he added.
“Let’s get to the transformational stuff, because that’s what is really going to make a difference,” Fries enthused pointing to a time “when AI can start having a much stronger relationship with our customers”.
“When we’re willing to put it out in front of customers as a tool, as an agent, as it starts to predict not just what our networks are going to do but what our customers and their households need, this is when it becomes transformational.”
To help realise this potential, the executive pointed to the benefit of partnerships with big technology players while also developing its own tools and offerings.
However, he noted industry challenges for AI remain, including around appetite for risk and talent acquisition.
“Finding people to come into your business who understand it as well as people in Silicon Valley or elsewhere, it’s not easy. We’re all finding those people, but it’s not easy”.
He also noted a big issue around “being willing to take some risks”, noting “the things we’re doing are sort of straightforward and really valuable to us, but we’re not taking a lot of risks”.
To watch the full interview, including comments on pressing issues in European markets and the prospects of its UK JV Virgin Media O2 in the wake of the soon to be complete Vodafone, 3 UK deal click here.