Majid Al Futtaim and I.AM+ have announced that the artificial intelligence (AI)-powered Omega platform will be rolled out for the first time in English and Arabic at Carrefour and VOX Cinemas in the Middle East.
The Los Angeles-based technology company, I.AM+, has chosen the Middle East as its English version launch market, following the partnership announcement with Majid Al Futtaim at the World Economic Forum, in January 2019.
Majid Al Futtaim will introduce the AI-powered voice assistant to its customers this year, enabling an entirely new level of experiential retail at various customer touchpoints when shopping for groceries or booking movie tickets. The I.AM+ Omega platform, customised for Majid Al Futtaim customers, will engage consumers in localised conversational and contextual style interactions, available in English and Arabic, delivering deep cross domain knowledge for a seamless customer experience.
This announcement was made at the seventh edition of the World Government Summit in the presence of Omar bin Sultan Al Olama, UAE’s Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence. In line with Dubai’s growing reputation as a global hub for innovation and technological advancements, the introduction of the I.AM+ Omega platform is testament to the continually growing appeal of the region and the UAE as an entry market for international businesses.
“We continue to implement cutting-edge technologies within our business to ensure that we are creating ground breaking experiences. Our partnership with I.AM+ indicates our commitment to pushing customer-centric solutions and ensuring that people in our region experience the true potential of AI and the opportunities of voice technology. We are excited to bring to life the Omega platform across our brands this year,” says Alain Bejjani, CEO at Majid Al Futtaim – Holding.
“The UAE is at the forefront of AI adoption and entrepreneurship so it’s a perfect location for the first bilingual version of Omega to be introduced globally. We recognise tremendous potential in this region as it holds one of the highest internet penetration levels in the world. Majid Al Futtaim is the leading lifestyle conglomerate across the region and is the ideal partner given the common vision we share to use technology for better human experiences,” adds will.i.am, founder and CEO of I.AM+.
With an average of 33 apps installed on smartphones, research indicates, users only use three apps 80% of the time. Command driven, non-conversational technologies lead to lower usage rates and poor retention. The I.AM+ Omega platform promises to address a rising gap between what consumers want from their smartphone applications and the current level of satisfaction that they experience.