Technology
AWS wants to make call center interactions less painful

Slowly but surely, Amazon’s AWS cloud computing unit has turn into a serious player within the call/contact center space thanks to its Amazon connection a cloud-based (and AI-centric) contact center service that launched in 2017. Currently, firms similar to Air Canada, Dish Network, and US Bank use this platform to serve customers. During its annual re:Invent conference in Las Vegas, the corporate announced quite a few Connect updates that, unsurprisingly, concentrate on artificial intelligence powered by the Amazon Q platform.
“When we came to market, we were really a voice-only solution that was very much focused on bringing AI to the contact center (with) scalability and security — what our calling card is for AWS. We were able to add more features and become more complete quite quickly,” Pasquale DeMaio, vp and general manager of Amazon Connect at AWS, told me. “We now offer a variety of channels, from chat, email – outgoing mid-call – as well as texting, WhatsApp and Apple Messaging for Business.”
DeMaio emphasized that AWS built Connect as an end-to-end solution that’s now utilized by greater than 14,000 external customers, in addition to Amazon.com itself.
Given the contact center context, many of the recent features concentrate on how Connect customers can more easily create AI-powered self-service workflows that may handle most of the more routine customer support tasks. Originally, AWS used Q in Connect primarily to help agents interact with customers. Now firms also can use this service to create customer-facing self-service.
To be certain that external conversations don’t go off course, AWS allows firms to arrange custom barriers that keep conversations heading in the right direction, reduce hallucinations, and help bots adhere to established company policies.
Ideally, all this permits human agents to concentrate on higher-value and more complex interactions, DeMaio noted. Speaking of those human staff, Connect can also be rolling out recent AI-powered agent evaluation tools that the corporate says will “enable customer service managers to easily detect performance trends, enhance training and improve overall service quality.”
However, what could also be much more interesting – and something you might soon see when a customer calls your call center – is that AWS is trying to use all this data and generative AI to help firms be more proactive of their interactions with customers.
“I think the best customer service is often proactive, not always proactive, but often proactive,” DeMaio said. “Over time it was really missed because it was hard (…) but if it’s done right it can be really great.”
In this version of Connect, the team has created tools that help firms track in real time what is going on with customers (possibly a flight is delayed, a package is stuck in transit, or a subscription is about to renew), divide them into different groups, after which proactively contact them , using essentially the most appropriate channel. Ideally, this may provide higher customer support, but will even reduce the variety of times customers have to contact the corporate, which can likely save the corporate money in the long term.

All of this typically relies on integrating many separate systems with Amazon Q Business. Sometimes it also happens the opposite way around, with external customers incorporating AWS Connect into their contact center solutions. For example, Salesforce today launches “Salesforce Contact Center with Amazon Connect,” which integrated core Amazon Connect capabilities with unified routing with Salesforce’s CRM solution.
“Businesses can now use a single routing and workflow solution for their Amazon Connect and Salesforce channels to intelligently deliver calls, chats, emails, and matters to the appropriate self-service or agent interaction,” AWS explains.
It is value noting that AWS is aware that not every Connect customer is yet ready to use generative AI. “When I talk to customers in the real world who are trying to do this, their number one thing is: stop shoving (generative) AI down my throat for every solution,” DeMaio said. “We want to assist you to go at your personal pace and do it the correct way for your corporation, and have the opportunity to use it for what it’s useful for, but depend on other technologies that already work great. And I’ll say that there are even situations where the tone of touch continues to be nearly as good or higher than voice, similar to should you ask me for my bank card number.
Technology
The Legal Defense Fund withdraws from the META civil law advisory group over Dei Rolback

On April 11, the Legal Defense Fund announced that he was leaving the external advisory council for civil rights regarding the fear that the changes in technology company introduced diversity, own capital, inclusion and availability in January.
According to those changes that some perceived as the capitulation of meta against the upcoming Trump administration, contributed to their decision To leave the advisory council of the technology company.
In January, LDF, along with several other organizations of civil rights, which were a part of the board, sent a letter to Marek Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, outlining their fears As for a way changes would negatively affect users.
“We are shocked and disappointed that the finish has not consulted with this group or its members, considering these significant changes in its content policy. Non -compliance with even its own advisory group of experts on external civil rights shows a cynical disregard for its diverse users base and undermines the commitment of the meta in the field of freedom of speech with which he claims to” return “.
They closed the letter, hoping that the finish would recommend the ideals of freedom of speech: “If the finish really wants to recommend freedom of speech, he must commit to freedom of speech for all his services. As an advisory group from external civil rights, we offer our advice and knowledge in creating a better path.”
These fears increased only in the next months, culminating in one other list, which from the LDF director, Todd A. Cox, who indicated that the organization withdraws its membership from the META civil law advisory council.
“I am deeply disturbed and disappointed with the announcement of Medical on January 7, 2025, with irresponsible changes in content moderation policies on platforms, which are a serious risk for the health and safety of black communities and risk that they destabilize our republic,” Cox wrote.
He continued: “For almost a decade, the NACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF) has invested a lot of time and resources, working with META as part of the informal committee advising the company in matters of civil rights. However, the finish introduced these changes in the policy of the content modification without consulting this group, and many changes directly with the guidelines from the guidelines from LDF and partners. LD can no longer participate in the scope. ” Advisory Committee for Rights “
In a separate but related LDF list, it clearly resembled a finish about the actual obligations of the Citizens’ Rights Act of 1964 and other provisions regarding discrimination in the workplace, versus the false statements of the Trump administration, that diversity, justice and initiative to incorporate discriminates against white Americans.
“While the finish has modified its policy, its obligations arising from federal regulations regarding civil rights remain unchanged. The title of VII of the Act on civic rights of 1964 and other regulations on civil rights prohibit discrimination in the workplace, including disconnecting treatment, principles in the workplace which have unfair disproportionate effects, and the hostile work environment. Also when it comes to inclusion, and access programs.
In the LDF press release, announcing each letters, Cox He called attention Metal insert into growing violence and division in the country’s social climate.
“LDF worked hard and in good faith with meta leadership and its consulting group for civil rights to ensure that the company’s workforce reflects the values and racial warehouses of the United States and to increase the security priorities of many different communities that use meta platforms,” said Cox. “Now we cannot support a company in good conscience that consciously takes steps in order to introduce changes in politics that supply further division and violence in the United States. We call the meta to reverse the course with these dangerous changes.”
(Tagstranslate) TODD A. COX (T) Legal Defense Fund (T) META (T) Diversity (T) Equality (T) inclusion
Technology
Students of young, talented and black yale collect $ 3 million on a new application

Nathaneo Johnson and Sean Hargrow, juniors from Yale University, collected $ 3 million in only 14 days to finance their startup, series, social application powered by AI, designed to support significant connections and challenge platforms, similar to LinkedIn and Instagram.
A duo that’s a co -host of the podcast A series of foundersHe created the application after recognizing the gap in the way in which digital platforms help people connect. SEries focuses moderately on facilitating authentic introductions than gathering likes, observing or involvement indicators.
“Social media is great for broadcasting, but it does not necessarily help you meet the right people at the right time,” said Johnson in an interview with Entrepreneur warehouse.
The series connects users through AI “friends” who communicate via IMessage and help to introduce. Users introduce specific needs-are on the lookout for co-founders, mentors, colleagues or investors-AI makes it easier to introduce based on mutual value. The concept attracts comparisons to LinkedIn, but with more personal experience.
“You publish photos on Instagram, publish movies on Tiktok and publish work posts on LinkedIn … And that’s where you have this microinfluuncer band,” Johnson added.
The application goals to avoid the superficial character of typical social platforms. Hargrow emphasized that although aesthetics often dominates on Instagram and the content virus drives tabktok, Number It is intentional, deliberate contacts.
“We are not trying to replace relationships in the real world-we are going to make it easier for people to find the right relationships,” said Hargrow.
Parable projects carried out before the seeded (*3*)Funding roundwhich included participation with Pear VC, DGB, VC, forty seventh Street, Radicle Impact, UNCASMON Projects and several famous Angels Investors, including the General Director of Reddit Steve Huffman and the founder of GPTZERO Edward Tian. Johnson called one meeting of investors “dinner for a million dollars”, reflecting how their pitch resonated with early supporters.
Although not the principal corporations, Johnson and Hargrow based pre-coreneuring through their podcast, through which they interviews the founders and leaders of C-Suite about less known elements of constructing the company-as accounting, business law and team formation.
Since the beginning of the series, over 32,000 messages between “friends” have been mentioned within the test phases. The initial goal of the application is the entrepreneurs market. Despite this, the founders hope to develop in finance, dating, education and health – ultimately striving to construct probably the most available warm network on the earth.
(Tagstranslate) VC (T) Yale (T) Venture Capital (T) Technology (T) APP
Technology
Tesla used cars offers rapidly increased in March

The growing variety of Tesla owners puts their used vehicles on the market, because consumers react to the political activities of Elon Musk and the worldwide protests they were driven.
In March, the variety of used Tesla vehicles listed on the market at autotrader.com increased rapidly, Sherwood News announcedCiting data from the house company Autotrader Cox Automotive. The numbers were particularly high in the last week of March, when on average over 13,000 used Teslas was replaced. It was not only a record – a rise of 67% in comparison with the identical week of the yr earlier.
At the identical time, the sale of latest Tesla vehicles slowed down even when EV sales from other brands increases. In the primary quarter of 2025, almost 300,000 latest EVs were sold in the USA According to the most recent Kelley Blue Book reporta rise of 10.6% yr on yr. Meanwhile, Tesla sales fell in the primary quarter, which is nearly 9% in comparison with the identical period in 2024.
Automaks resembling GM and Hyundai are still behind Tesla. But they see growth growth. For example, GM brands sold over 30,000 EV in the primary quarter, almost double the amount of a yr ago, in line with Kelley Blue Book.
(Tagstranslat) electric vehicles
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