Key Insights from the Microsoft AI Summit Bucharest 2024

PAC was present at the Microsoft AI Summit in Bucharest 2024. Under the motto “ Turning vision into impact with AI”, this event gathers together partners, start-ups, clients, and public sector representatives who discuss the role of AI in development, particularly at the local level.  During this event, various AI use cases were presented from industries such as banking, retail, or healthcare. To take a 360-degree approach to the evolution of AI, topics related to ethics, responsibility, adaptation, and social equity were also addressed with both representatives from the private and public sectors.

As expected, the focus was on Copilot and its benefits, exemplified by Microsoft’s recent announcement regarding a long-term collaboration with Banca Transilvania (BT), Romania’s leading commercial bank, which holds nearly 20% market share. BT, a pioneer in adopting AI within the banking sector, is partnering with Microsoft to integrate Microsoft 365 Copilot and GitHub Copilot into employee workflows. These AI-powered assistants aim to streamline daily tasks and enhance software development efficiency. The event showcased improving customer relationships through conversations with call center agents, both during and after the call. But BT is taking things a step further. They’re looking at ways to be proactive and identify potential issues before the customer even calls, which would allow them to prepare answers beforehand, reducing the waiting times to a minimum.

Vodafone, in terms of strategic partnerships, has emphasized its strong collaboration with Microsoft even before the joint announcement of a 10-year strategic agreement aimed at co-developing cloud solutions and AI services with a customer-centric focus. The company is currently transforming from a telecommunications provider to a digital player, seamlessly integrating connectivity capabilities with cutting-edge cloud and AI technologies. Notably, Vodafone proudly unveiled the first 5G cell tower drone equipped with AI capabilities in Romania. This technological advancement underscores their commitment to innovation and efficiency. Additionally, Vodafone collaborates closely with Salvamont, Romania’s sole mountain rescue service. By implementing training algorithms, they enhance the detection of human clues during rescue operations. Leveraging 14 data analytics centers, Vodafone processes up to 200 images in just 2 minutes, significantly expediting rescue efforts.

UiPath, a homegrown success story, has swiftly risen to become one of the leading players in the field of Robotic Process Automation (RPA) within a mere two decades. During this journey, they unveiled technological advancements, with key contributions from partners like Microsoft.

Additionally, several Romanian startups were featured with in-depth presentations at the event:

• Repsmate, a software that analyzes customer service interactions to pinpoint areas for improvement and provide actionable insights.
• Footprints AI, a platform that uses artificial intelligence to help businesses make money from their customer data across all their sales channels.
• Medicai, a tool powered by Azure OpenAI that helps doctors check patients more efficiently.  

PAC takeaways

The Microsoft AI Summit effectively showcased a concise yet comprehensive array of use cases, demonstrating a keen interest in the local market and a forward-looking perspective on digital transformation acceleration. While Romania’s technology adoption reputation lags behind that of other countries in the region, the BT use case received favorable feedback regarding implementing cutting-edge technologies, which might be a good signal for other accounts to embrace the benefits of the top-notch technologies sooner. In this context, Microsoft is also well-positioned to capitalize on numerous opportunities within public administration, especially in light of significant transformation initiatives like the governmental cloud, digital wallet, and the establishment of a single point of contact for citizens.