IBM Services to Help Corinthians with Artificial Intelligence

Brazilian Soccer Club, Corinthians, today announced a 10-year agreement with IBM (NYSE: IBM) to modernize the technology supporting its arena. Corinthians will be the first Latin American and Brazilian team to explore digital transformation capabilities with a 360-degree approach on and off the arena. The Club expects key benefits to be experienced by 2019. Through this journey, Corinthians aims to be able to provide insights for the coach and technical staff while transforming its fans' experience.

IBM will help modernize and manage the whole information technology environment of the Corinthians Arena with cognitive delivery capabilities through the IBM Services Platform with Watson and its "Fiel Torcedor" loyalty platform hosted on the IBM Cloud, integrating third party systems as well. IBM will also manage legacy systems, which will be updated and improved, such as the current access turnstiles in compliance with FIFA standards, as well as the management of their fan program system and ticket selling.

Today Corinthians registers over 117 thousand fans in their "Fiel Torcedor" program, and it is estimated that the Club has more than 33 million fans in Brazil. With this transformation, Corinthians expects to double the number of fans registered in their loyalty program in the next 18 months, by offering new products and services.

Corinthians is one of the most successful Brazilian clubs, having won the national title seven times, in addition to three Copa do Brasil trophies and a record 29 state championships. Forbes has listed it as the most valuable football club in the Americas and it is one of the most widely supported teams in the world.

"We are convinced of the benefits that a global partner like IBM can bring to Corinthians in general and to the Arena in particular, making the convergence of technologies and Artificial Intelligence key to a new era of possibilities for the fans, improving the experience of each and every Corinthians fan during and after the match day. There will be one way to support before and a whole new way after this contract, which will allow unprecedented ways of immersion in the most loved club of Brazil. Everything will change, and the passion, that's always the same, will find new ways of expression from today on," explains Luis Paulo Rosenberg, Marketing Director of the club.

"Corinthians is leveraging Watson Artificial Intelligence to redefine the way we will experience soccer through its digital reinvention," said IBM Brazil General Manager, Antonio Martins. "The club has been pioneering and innovating to improve the experience, comfort, connectivity, engagement and communication of its fans in the games, in addition to expanding its opportunities of business and partnerships. We are excited to be the partner of choice in leading a new era of soccer experience through AI, cloud, driving digital transformation through IBM Services in the Brazilian sport environment."

IBM continues to be an innovator in management services and personalized fan experiences for sports and entertainment venues around the world, and is the digital reinvention partner for venues such as the Banc of California Stadium, the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, home of the Atlanta Falcons and the Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Training Ground; training facility of Atlanta United Football Club. It is one of the world's largest digital agencies and global business design partners, delivering for events such as The Masters and the tennis Grand Slam events like Wimbledon and the US Open.

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Leading European Companies Select IBM Blockchain to Drive Innovation

The attributes of blockchain technology are ideally suited to large networks of disparate partners. A distributed ledger technology, blockchain establishes a shared, immutable record of all the transactions that take place within a network and then enables permissioned parties access to trusted data in real time. By applying the technology to a variety of business processes, a new form of command and consent can be introduced into the flow of information, empowering multiple partners to collaborate and establishing a single shared view of a transaction without compromising details, privacy or confidentiality.

The hallmark of IBM's blockchain business has been the ability to convene broad groups of network participants to embrace a collaborative platform approach to blockchain adoption. Clients are capitalising on the opportunity for greater trust and transparency using blockchain across a variety of industries, for example to better manage the reconciliation of international mobile phone roaming charges, securing digital identity for citizens, and complying with new European banking directives on customer communications.

With more than 500 blockchain projects globally, IBM is engaged across all industries, where European projects in particular are on the rise, where, according to IDC, "blockchain spending in Europe is now growing faster than anywhere else."1

"From large enterprises to start-ups, across multiple industries, businesses across Europe are selecting IBM Blockchain," said Andrew Darley, IBM Blockchain Platform Leader, Europe. "Clients are attracted by the production-readiness of the IBM Blockchain Platform, allowing them to run highly secure networks in any environment of their choosing, on premise, via IBM Cloud, or an increasing number of other industry cloud providers."

European clients are continuing to work with IBM to drive blockchain innovation in their industries:

• Telefónica and IBM are collaborating in the development of a proof of concept (PoC) based on IBM blockchain technology to help solve one of the major challenges of communications service providers, the management of international mobile phone call traffic. The project helps to resolve the veracity and traceability of information generated by different service providers when they route an international call. Using a decentralized network that provides participating members secure access, fraudulent behaviors and  discrepancies between the information recorded by each provider are significantly reduced.
• The Central Bank of the Republic of Azerbaijan and IBM are developing a Digital Identification System based on Hyperledger Fabric, A Linux Foundation framework, to verify the reliability of the documents related to both individuals and legal entities for use with banks, credit providers and similar organizations. The new system will simplify and automate the "Know Your Customer" validation process, and will be used by both clients and credit organizations serving citizens of Azerbaijan.
• Finnish retail cooperative S-Group is testing their Pike-perch radar solution, which is based on IBM Blockchain technology, as part of the retail group's strategy to improve customer experience. Customers in Finland can trace a fillet of pike or perch freshwater fish back to its home waters using the QR Code on the package of "Kotimaista-kuhafile" fish, or by logging in to a tracking website.
• PKO Bank Polski has implemented a blockchain-based "durable medium" platform built together with KIR (Krajowa Izba Rozliczeniowa S.A. -  Polish automated clearing house) in partnership with IBM and Accenture, to help the bank achieve compliance with the European Union Payment Services Directive related to customer communication. Now the client documents and communications sent digitally to more than 5 million customers of the bank will be held in a highly secure blockchain-based repository.
• The Central Securities Depository of Poland (Krajowy Depozyt Papierow Wartosciowych, KDPW) has implemented their eVoting solution, designed to encourage greater retail shareholder participation in company Annual General Meetings (AGM), and ensure transparency to regulators on the history of AGM agendas, and voting results. The network is in production.
• Startup software developer Comgo.io, with support from IBM, is digitizing the entire donation and spend process for Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) using Hyperledger Fabric. NGO donors can see in real time what money has already been spent and the activities supported. For example, when charity workers in India purchase hygiene products for the street children they support, the payment is tracked on a mobile phone, and written to the blockchain, allowing approved network participants to see the transactions, and triggering the NGO responsible to verify that the children did actually receive the products. The application enhances transparency to build a deeper connection between the donors and the charity, and helps donors to understand more about the work of the NGO. Comgo.io is implementing the application with 7 NGOs: Fundación Recover; Orden de Malta; Fundación Exit; Farmacéuticos sin Fronteras; KUBUKA; Itwillbe, and homelessentrepreneur.

Much of the momentum can be attributed to the ease of use of the IBM Blockchain Platform and the open nature of the Linux Foundation's Hyperledger Fabric blockchain framework, underscored by IBM's deep blockchain and industry expertise.

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IBM Talent Business Uses AI to Rethink the Modern Workforce

As artificial intelligence (AI) promises to transform both the future of work and the human resources (HR) function, IBM (NYSE: IBM) today announced IBM Talent & Transformation, a new business to help companies and their employees flourish in the era of AI and automation. IBM Talent & Transformation provides not only robust AI skills training, but also helps companies drive the transformation necessary to use AI to empower employees, transform workflows, eliminate bias and build a modern workforce.

While CEOs and employees agree that AI will transform the workplace, recent IBM studies reveal that few feel prepared to take advantage of AI’s potential:

• In the next three years, as many as 120 million workers in the world's 10 largest economies may need to be retrained or reskilled as a result of AI and intelligent automation, according to new research from IBM.
• An IBM study found that two-thirds of CEOs say AI will drive significant value in HR, yet only 11 percent of Chief Human Resource Officers report their organizations have the AI, data science and machine learning skills needed to fulfill that potential.
• 84 percent of employed adults in the US and UK believe AI can drive competitive advantage, but more than half are not confident their companies can use AI for competitive advantage, and more than half believe that company culture will be a barrier to adoption, according to a study conducted by The Harris Poll on behalf of IBM.

“As organizations grapple with the dual demands of undertaking digital transformation and reinventing their businesses and processes through the application of new technologies such as AI, automation and blockchain, the biggest barrier to progress will lie in accessing the right talent and skills,” said Mark Foster, senior vice president, IBM Global Business Services. “IBM believes that building a workforce to compete in the era of AI is as much about culture and specialized expertise as it is about technology.”

With the help of IBM Talent & Transformation, AI can be ushered into organizations with impact and responsibility and also become the catalyst for HR organizations to transform from service function to growth engine, helping companies to attract and retain a diverse and highly skilled workforce that drives and evolves with the future of their business.

The IBM Model, Enterprise Ready 

IBM’s new services, AI tools and related training initiatives take learnings from methods and technologies that IBM has applied to drive its own workforce transformation. These services harness the power of AI personalization to guide employees in developing skills and pursuing opportunities to grow within the company. They also allow HR teams to measure flight risk for proactive retention and use bias reduction capabilities to flag bias in recruitment efforts, such as language in job descriptions. When applied to IBM’s own HR function, these services drove more than $300 million in benefits to the company, $107 million in benefits in 2017 alone, and resulted in significantly better candidate, employee and manager satisfaction.

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IBM and Columbia University Launch Two Accelerator Programs for Blockchain Startups

IBM (NYSE: IBM) and Columbia University today announced two new accelerator programs to build and scale the next generation of blockchain innovation. As key components of the Columbia-IBM Center for Blockchain and Data Transparency, the accelerators will offer entrepreneurs and blockchain network founders around the world access to the expertise and resources they need to establish blockchain networks.

The programs will each support ten startups that are working to build out blockchain businesses and developing enterprise blockchain networks. As part of each program, participants will explore best practices for building a blockchain network with technical, academic and business mentors from IBM and Columbia. They will have access to agile design workshops from IBM, an experienced network of business and technical support, connections to the Columbia research community and student talent pools, business value design assistance and access to IBM Cloud technology through the program. 

The goal of these programs is to help network founders develop their ideas into sustainable and scalable companies offering blockchain solutions. For those already further along in their journey, the programs are designed to help them achieve scale and build successful business networks. As blockchain technology continues to grow in popularity, its value is tied to the strength of the networks that use it. By helping companies build scalable solutions, the programs can foster meaningful enterprise blockchain adoption and drive business efficiencies across industries.

“The possibilities presented by blockchain technology are seemingly endless, and we are seeing strong dedication by technical talent to build game-changing applications,” said David Post, Managing Director, IBM Blockchain Accelerator. “What is also needed to truly bring about this sea change is the right technology and expertise which is why IBM is working with Columbia to help give these early- and mid-stage founders a way to build enterprise-grade networks that can move blockchain innovation forward.” 

The IBM Blockchain Accelerator  is designed for later-stage growth companies globally and focused on building out an enterprise business network and client base for their blockchain application. This will take place over approximately eight weeks with a mixture of in-person modules in New York and San Francisco, in combination with virtual programming, to ensure that founders can participate while devoting time and energy to scaling their businesses. 

The Columbia Blockchain Launch Accelerator is designed for pre-seed, idea-stage companies with a Columbia or other recognized New York City-based University affiliation. This will take place on-site in New York City for approximately eight weeks, where founders will receive tools and training on how to build a blockchain startup. This is the sixth accelerator program hosted by Columbia that focuses on pre-seed founders. 

“Columbia University has successfully launched several technology accelerators in New York City, but this our first in partnership with a corporation that is a clear industry leader in the field,” said Satish Rao, Executive Director, Columbia Blockchain Launch Accelerator. “Early- and late-stage teams will undoubtedly benefit from IBM’s technology resources, expertise and established network coupled with Columbia’s ground-breaking research and talent in blockchain and data transparency, all while benefiting from rapidly growing NYC blockchain communities.”

About IBM Blockchain

IBM is recognized as the leading enterprise blockchain provider. The company's research, technical and business experts have broken barriers in transaction processing speeds, developed the most advanced cryptography to secure transactions, and are contributing millions of lines of open source code to advance blockchain for businesses. IBM is the leader in open-source blockchain solutions built for the enterprise. Since 2016, IBM has worked with hundreds of clients across financial services, supply chain, government, retail, digital rights management and healthcare to implement blockchain applications, and operates a number of networks running live and in production. The cloud-based IBM Blockchain Platform delivers the end-to-end capabilities that clients need to quickly activate and successfully develop, operate, govern and secure their own business networks. IBM is an early member of Hyperledger, an open source collaborative effort created to advance cross-industry blockchain technologies.

About Columbia University

Among the world’s leading research universities, Columbia University in the City of New York continuously seeks to advance the frontiers of scholarship and foster a campus community deeply engaged in the complex issues of our time through teaching, research, patient care and public service. The University is comprised of 16 undergraduate, graduate and professional schools, and four affiliated colleges and seminaries in Manhattan, and a wide array of research institutes and global centers around the world. More than 40,000 students, award-winning faculty and professional staff define the University’s underlying values and commitment to pursuing new knowledge and educating informed, engaged citizens. Founded in 1754 as King’s College, Columbia is the fifth oldest institution of higher learning in the United States