How did we solve it?
Attentive receptionist and valued colleague
In addition to announcing guests via text message, Ada’s assistance includes telling visitors about the house and its tenants as well as helping them find everything from coffee to bathrooms by either giving directions or showing a dynamic map of the building. Facial recognition even enables Ada to have follow-up conversations with, e.g., a person returning after asking for coffee, as well as recognize guests’ facial expressions to match their mood – although mandatory masks due to COVID-19 posed a temporary challenge.
As a native English speaker, Ada sometimes experiences a language barrier when people talk to her in Danish or when figuring out the many ways names can be pronounced. But her reaction was thought into her programming from the get-go, says Ulla Bagger Sørensen: “We wanted Ada to have a sense of humor to bring down the barriers between her and the people talking to her, especially non-native speakers.”
In addition to adding the necessary information and data to Ada as part of her onboarding, NTT DATA and AI Innovation house have worked together on adjustments in an ongoing collaboration. But Ada is mainly self-learning, meaning that she learns from conversations, interactions, and experience – and the feedback on her first year of employment has been great. Some of the words Ada’s colleagues use to describe her are positive, professional, and beautiful. Particularly the other half of the house’s receptionist team, Vinnie Øhlenschlæger Hansen, considers Ada a great addition:
“With Ada in the reception, the house doesn’t depend on me to receive and announce guests. And when I go to meetings, prepare meeting rooms, or perform other tasks that require my presence, I know she has my back.”
