Artificial Intelligence has leaped to the forefront of tech transformation. And Webex is already using it to reimagine how we connect and collaborate — in more seamless, secure, and inclusive ways than ever before.

This includes AI-powered, real-time translation and transcription, noise reduction, and features that compensate for bad lighting or low bandwidth. In short, Webex is taking us into the next phase of hybrid work.

But that’s just the beginning of AI innovation in Webex.

From October 24-26 in Anaheim, Ca., Cisco’s WebexOne event will unveil a wide range of new, purpose-built AI capabilities. And while she couldn’t provide all the specifics before the event, Aruna Ravichandran, SVP and chief marketing and customer officer for Webex by Cisco, was happy to share a few hints of what’s to come.

 

Thank you, Aruna! Webex is already a world-class collaboration platform. But at this month’s WebexOne, we’re talking about reimagining it. How does AI play into that reimagining?

At WebexOne, AI will be central to the technology solutions we’ll unveil and a key theme of conversation. The portfolio that we’ll showcase at WebexOne will span three different areas. First, we will show the world how they can Reimagine Work with the Webex Suite. Then, we’ll show how they can Reimagine Workspaces with our devices. Last, but not least, we will show how they can Reimagine Customer Experience, especially with the Webex Contact Center portfolio.

 

And AI is powering all of those?

Yes, AI will play a tremendous role across the three pillars I’ve mentioned. For example, everybody’s talking about AI assistants and LLM, large-language models. So, I’m excited to share more about what we’re doing with those at WebexOne.

 

I know you can’t yet talk specifics, but any other hints you could share?

Your algorithm is only intelligent if it has the right model behind it—but it must be done responsibly. We will unveil some amazing innovations in audio and video. You will see how we are evolving our current portfolio and connecting the dots to make these LLM models and AI assistants much smarter.

 

Webex has leveraged AI for years, with AI-powered capabilities like real-time transcription, translations, and noise reduction that create unrivaled experiences for Webex users. Are we expanding on those features?

If you think about background noise reduction, it is enabled with AI functionality that automatically detects noise and eliminates it from the audio. The user isn’t even aware that it’s happening. That’s the kind of seamless experience we want people to have with Webex AI. At WebexOne, we’ll talk about taking our AI-powered features to the next level and announcing new innovations in audio and video intelligence.

 

Privacy and security are paramount in collaboration. How do Webex and AI contribute to that?

At Cisco, we are secure by default and by design. This means that security is a forethought for us, and privacy is paramount in terms of anything Cisco builds across the board — not just Webex solutions. It’s the foundation of everything we do to develop our products and solutions. And AI is making our security much more powerful, with solutions like Security Cloud and Cisco XDR.

 

At the same time, there can be privacy and security risks associated with using AI in the workplace.  Can you explain how Cisco’s Responsible AI Guidelines are setting standards for the ethical use of AI?

Our Responsible AI Framework has been built at an across-Cisco level. So, we exercise all of our protocols with respect to this framework. Again, for us, security is by design, and it is not an afterthought. When we pair this governing framework with our people-first values, we ensure that we prioritize privacy and human rights by design.

 

Webex aims to be the most inclusive collaboration tool in the world. How does AI support that goal — and Cisco’s core purpose, powering an inclusive future for all?

AI will continue to play a tremendous role in inclusivity. If you look at some of the features we have launched, they are purpose-built to enable inclusive collaboration. Real-time translation from English to 100+ languages and from 10+ languages to 100+ languages. That’s just one example. Smart lighting to bring your best self to the call is another; real-time reactions based on gestures; and our partnership with Voiceitt to help include people with speech differences on Webex calls are others.

With AI, we can take all these efforts to power an inclusive future to the next level, remove more barriers to participation, and accommodate all employees according to their unique needs — for meaningful collaboration, regardless of language or geography. We’re excited to reveal the next evolution of these capabilities at Webex One.

 

This is already a forward-looking conversation, but what excites you about the future a bit further down the road?

I would say AI is going to be revolutionary across the board. We have decades of experience connecting our customers and our employees across the planet, helping them communicate, connect, and collaborate better. With AI, we can continue to play an even bigger role in bringing people together with more inclusivity than ever before. This will happen in ways we hardly imagine. It’s going to be very exciting.