Millions of New Customers

In India, hundreds of millions of people are only starting to get reliable electricity, meaning for the first time they’re potential buyers of appliances such as a fan or lamp. And yet, even though that kind of consumerism is new, these would-be customers still have the characteristic impatience of millennials: “These are 10-second people—if they don’t get an answer in 10 seconds, you lose their attention,” says Anant Bajaj, a managing director for Bajaj Electricals, a lighting, engineering, electric utility, and appliance maker based in Mumbai.

That explains why Bajaj Electricals is testing chatbots, which will let customers use SMS to report a problem with an appliance, request a demo, or schedule an appointment with a technician. Read how chatbots work, and how they could shape the way people engage with makers of consumer products.

—Alexa Weber Morales, Oracle director of developer content

AI Makes “Smart Cities” Even Smarter

In England’s rural Calderdale, residents can report broken streetlamps and request other government services anytime via an online chat with city representatives. And now Calderdale is interested in adding artificial intelligence (AI) to help answer the most commonly asked questions. Other cities are getting smarter, too.

The Holiday Season Is Here. Are You Ready?

How can retailers use data to better segment their audiences to deliver the right message to the right audience at the right time? Get tips, including how to incorporate AI and social influencers.

A Developer Helps Puerto Ricans Navigate Post-Hurricane Bureaucracy

Christina Moore learned how government bureaucracy works after Hurricane Irene smashed her Vermont town in 2011. So she built an application to walk people through the federal infrastructure grant process. Now, she’s pulling 12-hour days helping Puerto Ricans tap into the tools they need to rebuild.

Three Best Practices for Successful Zero-Based Budgeting

Zero-based budgeting (ZBB) is making a comeback among financial leaders as they look for ways to more strategically plan and manage spending. One advantage? As technology enables deeper visibility into what is driving costs and profits, organizations can use ZBB to more smoothly align resources and investments to strategic goals. Two other advantages.

Java EE 8: In-Depth Analysis in New Issue of Java Magazine

Press Release: New Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Innovations