Ready to Do Business With Machine Customers?
Gartner VP Analyst on How Machines and AI Are Shaping Commerce and Cybersecurity
Machines are gradually taking on activities of human customers such as research, negotiations and user reviews. The rise of the AI customers marks a shift from machines as passive tools to active participants in economic transactions, said Donald Scheibenreif, vice president and analyst at Gartner.
See Also: Driving Security, Compliance Along Medical Device Life Cycle
"A machine customer is an economic actor that can obtain goods or services in exchange for payment," said Scheibenreif, author of "When Machines Become Customers." "When we talk about machine customers, we were not talking about Skynet or the singularity. We're squarely focused on commerce."
Machine customers are increasingly aligning with human capabilities to facilitate transactions, but these algorithms also could be used for "shutting down operations" or to "cause damage to an operation," he said.
In this video interview with Information Security Media Group, Scheibenreif also discussed:
- Why establishing trust is a significant challenge in the adoption of machine customers;
- Advancements in generative AI to expedite the development of technologies;
- The evolving nature of cyberthreats and the need for proactive security measures.
Scheibenreif advises customer experience and IT leaders globally on how emerging trends and digital business will affect customer experience and the future of customers. He is a founding and active member of Gartner's pioneering research on digital business and digital business transformation.
