The Rise Of The VPA
The CEO Magazine India|April 2019

Today’s global business elite are set to benefit from a new generation of super-smart virtual personal assistants who know who you are, what you want and even why you want it.

Sam Mckeith
The Rise Of The VPA

Secretaries these days are an endangered species. Once a must-have for any time-poor business high-flyer, the executive assistant role in the West is increasingly coming under threat from off-shore counterparts – office administration professionals who work remotely, often in more affordable locations such as, India, the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia.

But that’s not all. A new generation of groundbreaking AI technology has the potential to change the game in the personal assistant industry, making machines, and not humans, the ideal helpers for today’s business elite.

SUPER-SMART ASSISTANTS

When it comes to AI assistants (virtual personal assistants, or VPAs), all the big technology players have their mass market offerings. There’s Google Assistant, Microsoft’s Cortana, Alexa from Amazon and of course Apple’s Siri, which was launched all the way back in 2010.

However, many of the exciting developments in the field are occurring outside the major tech companies, in start-ups aiming to disrupt up the status quo.

US-based x.ai is one of the leaders of the VPA pack, with its offering that seeks to hasten the decline of the real-life secretary role via its “ridiculously efficient” scheduling software. The start-up’s machine-based PAs, named Andrew and Amy, have been programmed to schedule meetings, at a price of US$24 per month for businesses.

According to the New-York headquartered firm, founded in 2014 and said to be worth around US$100 million, the AI helpers can also update or reschedule meetings, calculate commute times, and even work with human assistants.

Esta historia es de la edición April 2019 de The CEO Magazine India.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

Esta historia es de la edición April 2019 de The CEO Magazine India.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

MÁS HISTORIAS DE THE CEO MAGAZINE INDIAVer todo
In The Best Of Corporate Health
The CEO Magazine India

In The Best Of Corporate Health

Under the leadership of chairman and managing director Dilip Surana, micro labs is showing no signs of slowing down in its quest to become one of the world’s leading generic pharmaceutical companies.

time-read
10+ minutos  |
December/January 2021
“OUR FOCUS IS ON OUR CUSTOMERS.”
The CEO Magazine India

“OUR FOCUS IS ON OUR CUSTOMERS.”

BONFIGLIOLI TRANSMISSIONS COUNTRY MANAGER KENNADY V KAIPPALLY TALKS INNOVATION, CUSTOMER SATISFACTION AND THE POWER OF A STRONG BUSINESS CULTURE.

time-read
9 minutos  |
December/January 2021
WE ALL TREAT EACH OTHER WITH RESPECT.“
The CEO Magazine India

WE ALL TREAT EACH OTHER WITH RESPECT.“

WHEN COVID-19 STRUCK SOUTH ASIA, BD INDIA MANAGING DIRECTOR PAVAN MOCHERLA FOUND WAYS TO KEEP HIS ASSOCIATES SAFE WHILE CONTINUING TO PRODUCE THE TOOLS HEALTHCARE WORKERS NEED TO COMBAT THE VIRUS.

time-read
4 minutos  |
December/January 2021
WE ARE ENJOYING A CONSTANT DEMAND FOR OUR PRODUCTS.
The CEO Magazine India

WE ARE ENJOYING A CONSTANT DEMAND FOR OUR PRODUCTS.

POTATO WAFERS AND OTHER SNACK FOODS HAVE PROVEN TO BE THE GOLDEN TICKET FOR CO-FOUNDER AND MANAGING DIRECTOR OF BALAJI WAFERS, CHANDUBHAI VIRANI.

time-read
5 minutos  |
December/January 2021
Walking on water
The CEO Magazine India

Walking on water

RELIABLE ACCESS TO ELECTRICITY CAN UNLOCK OPPORTUNITIES FOR INDIA’S RURAL COMMUNITIES. AS CHAIRMAN AND MANAGING DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL HYDROELECTRIC POWER CORPORATION, ABHAY KUMAR SINGH IS DETERMINED TO DO AS MUCH AS HE CAN FOR THIS CAUSE IN THE NEXT TWO YEARS.

time-read
5 minutos  |
December/January 2021
The CEO Magazine India

LEAN MACHINE

AS CEO, THOMSON JOSEPH HAS EQUIPPED TRÜTZSCHLER INDIA WITH THE TOOLS TO DO MORE WITH LESS. WHAT A TIMELY JOURNEY IT HAS PROVEN TO BE.

time-read
4 minutos  |
December/January 2021
THE CUSTOMER IS KING.
The CEO Magazine India

THE CUSTOMER IS KING.

AS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE DISTILLERIES COMPANY OF SRI LANKA, ROYLE JANSZ UNDERSTANDS THAT THE RECIPE FOR SUCCESS IS A BLEND OF CONSISTENT QUALITY AND TREATING CUSTOMERS LIKE ROYALTY.

time-read
4 minutos  |
December/January 2021
The CEO Magazine India

The WARTIME CEO

LEADERS MUST ADOPT THE MENTALITY OF BEING AT WAR IF THEY WANT TO SURVIVE THE NEXT 24 MONTHS, SAYS EXPERT LYNDALL SPOONER.

time-read
4 minutos  |
December/January 2021
Challenges excite me.
The CEO Magazine India

Challenges excite me.

WITH A FOCUS ON DIFFERENTIATION AND VALUE CREATION FOR ITS CUSTOMERS, ASHWANI SHARMA, PRESIDENT AND CEO OF ASEPTO, UFLEX GROUP’S ASEPTIC LIQUID PACKAGING ARM, SHARES HOW THE BRAND HAS TRANSFORMED THE ASEPTIC LIQUID PACKAGING INDUSTRY.

time-read
3 minutos  |
December/January 2021
A MATERIAL WORLD
The CEO Magazine India

A MATERIAL WORLD

WITH 40 YEARS’ EXPERIENCE AT MATERIALS MANUFACTURER TORAY INDUSTRIES UNDER HIS BELT, CHIEF REPRESENTATIVE FOR INDIA SHIGEKAZU SUENAGA HAS LEARNED THAT FEW THINGS ARE MORE IMPORTANT TO A BUSINESS THAN INNOVATION, COMMUNICATION AND CONSISTENCY.

time-read
3 minutos  |
December/January 2021