Cisco Harnesses AI Innovations for Next-Gen Collaboration via Webex Suite

With one suite and eight tools, Webex by Cisco offers AI-powered collaboration for every workstyle, all built on a secure and trusted platform. Through such innovations, Cisco continues to revolutionize workplace collaboration dynamics by streamlining communication and creating healthier and more efficient hybrid work environments.

Webex’s innovations include a suite of generative AI-powered features designed to elevate communication experiences and enhance understanding. These features encompass empathetic communication tools, contextual insights for enhanced comprehension, and initiatives to combat burnout in high-stress environments.

More Empathetic Communication Tools

Cisco’s Webex AI Assistant was purpose-built for a hybrid world where the needs of both in-person and remote users are not only met but exceeded. The AI Assistant for Webex enhances the messaging experience by providing real-time suggestions to help users deliver messages in a more positive and professional tone. The Change Message Tone feature ensures that intentions are effectively conveyed, fostering empathy, and understanding in interactions.

The AI Assistant for Webex also utilizes AI to introduce Meeting Summaries and Messaging Summaries. These features allow users to quickly catch up on important discussions, key points, and action items missed. By automating the sorting and summarizing process, Webex alleviates the stress and cognitive load associated with managing overwhelming amounts of information, enabling users to stay informed without interruptions. This creates a more productive and connected hybrid work environment.

Contextual Communication Cues

To ensure users never miss critical social or communication cues while joining meetings from different locations, Webex’s Real-Time Media Models (RMM) uniquely blend the highest quality audio and video with Large Language Models (LLM) to deliver rich, actionable context, including catch-me-up features. These models ensure that users never miss insights, information, or interaction.

The Webex AI Codec, leveraging generative AI-based speech enhancement, further eliminates choppy audio or video resulting from poor connectivity to support getting the full context of communication. This capability delivers clear, uninterrupted audio even in poor network conditions, requiring 16X less bandwidth than the industry standard codec. The Super Resolution feature also uses generative AI video to rebuild packets in poor bandwidth conditions, providing a crystal-clear view for video transmission.

Addressing Burnout in Contact Centers

Contact center agents represent an employee population at higher risk of stress and burnout. To address burnout in contact centers, Cisco Webex collaborates with Thrive Global to proactively detect stress indicators in agents and provide actionable insights for stress management. 

Webex Contact Center and Thrive use insights derived from real-time AI technology built by Webex to proactively detect stress indicators in agents and provide actions they can take to disconnect and recharge after a cycle of stress. Upon detecting stress, agents will be served a quick Thrive Reset video to reduce stress before taking another call. This results in customer care delivered by an agent in a positive mindset.

Cisco’s Approach to Generative AI

Ahmed Zureiki, Director of Collaboration at Cisco Middle East & Africa, emphasizes, "Our AI-integrated Webex portfolio highlights how we are empowering organizations and individuals to communicate more effectively. As industry leaders, it is our responsibility to harness the potential of AI to uplift people, nurture their well-being, and drive progress in our organizations and wider society. By using AI, we can develop our communication and empathy skills to enhance interactions and foster positive outcomes. With new enhancements in LLM and generative AI, we are demonstrating the ability of Webex to deliver unparalleled hybrid work experiences."

For years, Cisco has leveraged AI with audio, video, natural language understanding, and analytics to create unrivaled experiences for Webex users – with the security Cisco is known for. This continued innovation underscores Cisco's commitment to driving the future of collaboration, setting new standards for productivity, connectivity, and user experience in the digital age.

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