By Ricardo Argüello, Director of Habber Tec and Chema Castillo, Technical Sales IBM 

The idea of a “thinking machine” dates back to ancient Greece. The Greeks invented the concept, but they probably weren’t aware of how far it could develop. Today, despite having a long way to go, Artificial Intelligence—or in other words, machines that think—has already made a significant impact on our daily lives, not just in the business world. 

When our favorite streaming platform recommends content, when we book a medical appointment over the phone with barely a word exchanged, or when a malicious email magically ends up in the SPAM folder, AI has been at work. Its use cases are infinite, and its potential to transform sectors is immense. Therefore, this technology is one of the most influential in our environment and goes far beyond the smart gadgets we might carry in our pockets or on our wrists. 

One of the major applications of this technology that has gained relevance in recent years is in customer service. Resolving consumer problems and questions is a daily task that requires time and personnel, and virtual assistants can make this process more efficient. On one hand, they reduce the waiting time for users to get answers; on the other hand, they increase agility in corporate processes, allowing professionals to focus on more complex and higher-value tasks. 

A tangible example of this was seen right at the beginning of the pandemic. The phone lines of health institutions were overwhelmed with inquiries, and agents were unable to keep up. AI-based virtual assistants and chatbots became great allies in untangling that mess, handling simple questions and directing more complex ones. For instance, IBM and the Junta de Andalucía created a virtual assistant that responded to over 67,000 citizen inquiries about the virus. During this time, the Diputación de Álava also launched an assistant developed with IBM technology that addresses various citizen needs, allowing public sector workers to focus on other tasks. In a different sector, and long before the pandemic, CaixaBank was a prime example of trusting this technology, being the first bank in the world to train and utilize an assistant in 2015 to support the bank’s foreign trade experts. 

The AI Revolution in Traditional Sectors   

Artificial Intelligence has the power to reinvent and drive innovation in all types of sectors, even the most traditional ones. An example of this is agriculture, an area severely affected by climate change in countries like Spain. Here, AI capabilities are helping the agricultural sector maximize profitability and achieve products of the highest quality while consuming fewer water and fertilizer resources. 

  The tomatoes grown in the greenhouses of Cajamar in El Ejido, Almería, are a testament to this transformation. Cajamar is one of many companies that, along with its extensive community of farmers, contributes daily to cultivating the “garden of Europe” and has a long harvesting tradition in various regions of Spain. Here, AI has much to offer: in collaboration with IBM’s climate suite, they developed Plataforma Tierra. This tool enables farmers to work more precisely by providing predictive services for water and fertilization savings, undoubtedly making their farms more intelligent, sustainable, and profitable. 

The real estate sector is also benefiting from artificial intelligence. Habber Tec, an IBM Business Partner, developed an AI solution using IBM Watson technology for the Unión de Créditos Inmobiliarios (UCI) to help the company improve the speed and quality of the mortgage loan approval analysis traditionally performed by risk analysts. This process often led to delays in responses, subjectivity, and a lack of agility to adapt to changes. 

This application can provide real-time responses to mortgage requests, automating 80% of credit decisions, thanks to AI predictive models combined with risk policies and cognitive services that enhance the user experience and capture new data. 

Artificial Intelligence on the Roads 

Road mobility also plays a crucial role in societal life and faces significant challenges. Increased traffic, greenhouse gas emissions, safety concerns, and travel time are pressing issues. Can technology help solve these problems? The answer is yes. IBM and Abertis, a global leader in toll highway and infrastructure management, are already exploring pioneering ways to develop more innovative, safe, and eco-friendly highways. In this context, AI has much to offer in combination with other technologies like cloud computing and 5G. For example, in predictive scenarios, AI can be used to assess traffic density on specific road segments, help maintain road conditions—anticipating pavement degradation—or prevent major snowfalls that could affect infrastructure and users. 

AI also plays a significant role in fields that may not be immediately apparent. For instance, in the private security sector, Prosegur needed to automate internal processes to provide better service in private surveillance. Managing orders, collections, or billing manually was complicated, leading to a lack of traceability in client requests, delays in regulatory compliance, and loss of information during billing processes. 

To address this, Prosegur, in collaboration with Habber Tec, implemented the Order-to-Cash solution based on IBM Business Process Manager Standard, which organizes the entire service provision process, from the initial request to payment. This way, clients can track requests, improve response times for urgent solutions, and unify communication channels, among many other benefits. 

In summary, security, mobility, and agriculture are just a few examples demonstrating how AI positively impacts various sectors. Whether in moments when the end user can appreciate its presence or when it goes unnoticed, this technology continues to evolve to make life easier not only for companies but also for individuals, presenting a wide array of possibilities to effect change.