DURHAM, UK – Amazon may be currently getting some stick for its Alexa systems being disobedient and emitting evil laughs, yet water utilities are working with home artificial intelligence (AI) technology to help boost customer engagement.
The Northumbrian Water Group (NWL) is working with home AI systems such as Amazon’s Echo to allow customers to ask water related questions.
Eventually, the utilityclaims, home AI systems such as Alexa will be able to say if there is a water supply problem in consumers’ areas, as well as provide water saving advice.
Meanwhile, in February another UK utility – Affinity Water – announced that customers can manage their accounts via a new Alexa Skill.
You can now link Alexa with Affinity Water’s online ‘My Account’ service. The southeast water supplier said customers can also submit a meter reading or find out their latest information by asking the AI system.
For electricity and gas, French company EDF Energy has developed the “EDF Energy skill”, which allows its customers to submit meter readings, check account balances and find out their next payment dates.
Home AI technology is becoming increasingly popular, with the ability to connect to smart TVs and control heating and lighting systems.
In the US alone, 20 million Amazon Echo products and seven million Google Home smart speakers had been purchased as of November last year, according to Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP).
However, concerns have emerged surrounding privacy issues in homes using the smart speakers. Earlier this month reports came out showing Amazon’s Echo was refusing to follow instructions and then emitting “creepy laughs”.
NWL said: “Although slightly terrifying, Artificial Intelligence can be used for good! And we are doing just that by working to develop skills that will allow customers to fire water related questions at their Alexa AI system.”
The Northumbrian Water initiative is being led by 19-year-old degree apprentice Mark Ireland, working alongside head of strategy and enterprise architecture Martin Jackson.
The utility added: “These ‘Skills' might seem gimmicky at the minute but advancements in SMART homes of the future mean that it could be a part of everyday life for customers in the future, and we want to be leading the way.”
Nigel Watson, group director of information services, NWL, said: "With AI technology, such as Alexa, Cortana and Siri becoming a part of life in homes across the world, it makes great sense to be looking at how we can use that to make life easier for some of our customers.”
Peter Rowland, chief information officer at Affinity Water, said:“Voice-activated services have begun to transform the customer experience – by launching our service on Alexa we can now offer our customers a seamless way to get the information they need.”
###
Read more
Adoption of smart water technologies remains a utility “management challenge”
