Back from VivaTech : A great 2017 session !
Source : VivaTechnology
The exhibition mixes startups and large groups, focusing on innovation and major topics such as finance, health, distribution, travel, beauty, gaming… It’s an increasing success thanks to the power of the group Publicis and its president Mauroce Levy, who attract chief players from all over the world and leading French politicians. The fair has become an international innovation hub following the French president’s (Emmanuel Macron), announcement of a 10 billion euro investment for innovation.
Although the quality of the 6 000 showcased start-ups was upgraded this year, most of the headlining conferences that we attended were unfortunately quite bland and controlled, even if Eric Schmidt, the CEO of Alphabet clearly dubbed our new president, Emmanuel Macron.
But, let’s get back to our startups which are taking giant steps when it comes to virtual reality, artificial intelligence or even robotics. Technology is no longer limited to a restricted group of people, but is available for everyone to see, as proved by the success of Amazon Echo and Alexa, its artificial intelligence, the millions of sales of VR headsets or even our favorite robot Buddy. Yes, artificial intelligence is growing rapidly Google and Facebooks algorithms can today, potentially replace a radiologist.
According to Facebook, which is pushing chatbots on to their instant messaging service, it’s the next big thing. However, chatbots, which are making a name for themselves for over a year, are very far from the conversational intelligence promised by Mark Zuckerberg. They are most probably the future of client relationships, and it’s not just a coincidence that Apple is joining the Business Chat race. In order to be successful, scripts capable of resolving any challenge that the customer encounters need to be created. This is where startups such as Recast.ai can help brands and stores, and go beyond just being talked about.
The real revolution of today’s infrastructures and which is still pending is blockchain technology which should, in the near future, be able to handle all transactions needing data exchanges whilst providing transparency, security & reliability. Blockhain technology inevitably impacts finance, but also distribution concerning product traceability, human resources when it comes to diploma and previous experience authentication, transfers of goods between private individuals… Our favorite startup regarding this topic is Ledgys, which already works with financial, luxury and retail players.
The 2017 edition is finished; we can’t wait for 2018, with hopes of international speakers who are a bit freer on the Parisian scene of innovation, just like Benedict Evans or Dr Laurent Alexandre.
To watch our daily debriefings of VivaTech click here !
Nicolas Diacono
Expert Techno Trends
Email him
