IBM has announced that it will integrate its cognitive intelligence framework Watson into its enterprise apps, including IBM MobileFirst for iOS apps. For enterprise employees, this will bring various conversational capabilities to the software in order to encourage better productivity.
In a press release, IBM has revealed that both MobileFirst and custom-built iOS apps from IBM can embed various Watson APIs to meet clients’ unique needs. For example, Watson can enable professionals to control MobileFirst apps through the use of voice commands.
Watson APIs can make particular use of the new iOS 10 speech framework to allow for conversation interaction and help users make better-informed decisions. IBM cites various examples of Watson’s integration – including with the Passenger + app, pictured above, which now lets flight attendants provide more personal and relevant customer care in-flight.
So, staff could now learn, before the customer actually boards the flight, whether that customer favors priority seating and if there is a snack or beverage of which they are most fond, to mention just two examples. The cabin crew could then tailor their services for each passenger.
Recalling the beginning of Apple and IBM’s team-up “more than two years ago to define the enterprise mobility market”, Mahmoud Naghshineh, IBM’s general manager for the Apple partnership, declared of the new Watson integration with iOS 10’s speech framework: “The combinations and possibilities are virtually endless.”