Cisco Revolutionizes Webex with AI for Better Collaboration

Cisco‘s recent announcement at WebexOne showcases a groundbreaking AI strategy poised to enhance communication and collaboration through its Webex platform. In contrast to AI solutions that primarily concentrate on text and documents, Webex will harness real-time audio and video communications to address everyday challenges, ensuring impeccable audio and video quality during calls and meetings, even in bandwidth-challenged environments. Additionally, Cisco introduces the Webex AI Assistant, featuring advanced capabilities designed to elevate productivity and precision across its portfolio. This comprehensive AI strategy will be integrated into the entirety of the Webex ecosystem.

Ahmad Zureiki, Director of Collaboration Business for Cisco Middle East & Africa, said

“Our Webex platform, renowned for its unwavering commitment to innovation, takes another significant leap by incorporating AI. With AI at its core, it is set to empower our customers throughout the Middle East and Africa, opening new horizons for productivity and connection.”

Real-Time Media Models (RMMs) for Enhanced Insights

Cisco introduces Real-Time Media Models within Webex, utilizing visual and auditory cues like gestures and participant movements during meetings to provide valuable context for human interactions. These models enhance audio and video quality and have the capacity to analyze multiple media streams, recognizing individuals and objects and capturing actions such as gestures and movements. Moreover, RMMs in Webex offer an innovative approach by allowing audio and video channels to provide context for traditional text-based functions like meeting summaries and highlights. This integration of AI for text, audio, and video promises to deliver real-time insights, such as recognizing when a meeting participant steps away and capturing relevant notes to facilitate their reintegration into the conversation.

New Webex AI Codec for Superior Audio & Video Quality

Cisco unveils a cutting-edge AI Codec in Webex, a generative AI solution aimed at redefining real-time communication and overcoming audio quality challenges. This audio Codec is designed to ensure crystal-clear audio, even in regions with unreliable network connectivity, effectively addressing disruptions commonly experienced during calls and meetings. Webex’s AI Codec achieves this by offering substantial transmission redundancy to recover from network packet loss and includes built-in speech enhancement features like noise reduction, de-reverberation, and bandwidth extension, ultimately delivering unprecedented audio clarity. Additionally, Webex applies machine learning techniques to enhance video quality through Super Resolution, guaranteeing high-definition meetings regardless of bandwidth conditions.

Webex AI Assistant Enhances Productivity

The newly introduced Webex AI Assistant empowers users with a wide array of capabilities that enhance their productivity and minimize IT-related workload, thereby contributing to business value. Users can interact with the AI Assistant by asking questions related to meetings, enabling real-time generation of answers. Furthermore, the AI Assistant is seamlessly integrated into Cisco Collaboration devices and spans the entire Webex portfolio. Its capabilities include:

– “Change Message Tone” suggests improvements to message tone, format, and phrasing in Webex Messaging and Slido.

– “Suggested Responses” offers contextual message responses for contact center agents.

– “Meeting Summaries” provide easy-to-digest recaps of missed portions of meetings, organized into chapters and highlights.

– “Message Summaries” offer customized message recaps.

– “Slido Topic Summaries” generate summaries of trending topics during virtual and hybrid events.

These new capabilities are scheduled for release at various stages, with shipping expected to commence before the end of 2023.

Utilizing the Best Large Language Models

Recognizing that different use cases benefit from specific Large Language Models (LLMs), Webex employs a federated approach, combining the strengths of commercial, open source, Cisco-proprietary, and select customer models to deliver the optimal user experience.

Cisco’s Commitment to Responsible AI

Cisco’s approach to AI encompasses natural language processing, audio intelligence, video intelligence, and analytics, all developed with a strong emphasis on security, privacy, and human rights. The Responsible AI Framework at Cisco underscores its dedication to transparency, fairness, accountability, privacy, security, and reliability in AI development. The Webex AI strategy and Webex AI Assistant align with this framework, ensuring secure and responsible AI implementation.