With the support of Google Cloud, Android, and Qualcomm Technologies, Zebra is powering AI applications to address business and employee needs with flexible deployment options to match

Zebra Technologies Corporation (NASDAQ: ZBRA), a leading digital solution provider enabling businesses to intelligently connect data, assets, and people today announced its collaboration with Google Cloud, Android, and Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. to help enterprises deliver transformative customer experiences along with improved employee productivity and insights powered by generative AI. These new, innovative capabilities will be previewed next week at the 2024 Google Cloud Next in Las Vegas.

The aim of this approach is to reduce the cognitive load on front-line employees and allow for better just-in-time decision-making with faster onboarding and training. It will further empower the frontline as labor availability and cost challenges persist and employees are required to be more multi-skilled than ever while increasing the quality of their engagement with customers.

Front-line employees – from back-office staff to store associates – will be able to leverage a chat experience from a handheld device to easily access information to answer questions and prompts like, “How do I open the store?” and “What type of wiring should a customer use for a 100-watt electrical panel?” The capabilities are powered by generative AI with domain specific knowledge through the processing and ingestion of documents such as standard operating procedures (SOP), policies, employee training materials and product knowledge.

“We want to shift conversations around generative AI from ‘how’ it works to ‘what’ it can do to create new ways of working that make everyday life better for organizations, their employees and those they serve,” said Tom Bianculli, Chief Technology Officer, Zebra Technologies. “We now see the merging of planning and execution systems in the enterprise. Generative AI will accelerate that with finely tuned, real-world models that can schedule and automate tasks, respond to requests, and give recommendations based on the context of a situation in a worker’s moment of need.”

Bianculli cites the real-life example of a European supermarket chain that has piloted generative AI with Zebra mobile computers by feeding the model its entire SOP library.

“Employees now have a huge volume of knowledge derived from policies, procedures, and product information in the palms of their hands – an ‘always-on’ digital assistant that can reduce the time to competency and ensure best practices are consistently leveraged,” said Bianculli. “They are saving time, improving customer interactions, training staff more quickly, and giving front-line workers more autonomy and satisfaction in their jobs.”

These outcomes may soon be a reality across enterprises in retail, healthcare, and transportation and logistics, with Zebra devices built on the Android operating system and powered by Qualcomm Technologies’ processors with on-device AI capabilities.

“We are thrilled to work with Zebra to enable them to deliver transformative customer experiences and enhanced employee productivity through generative AI using our advanced on-device AI capabilities,” said Art Miller, Vice President, Business Development, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. “Zebra's new devices enable organizations to utilize the power of AI for improved decision-making, faster onboarding, and training. We are excited about the potential of these capabilities to drive innovation and create new ways of working that benefit organizations and their employees.”

Together with Google’s Gemini and open-source Gemma models, the full range of generative AI deployments is made possible, from on-device to on-premise, cloud and hybrid options.

“Generative AI is fundamentally changing how many organizations operate and will fuel a new era of how both customers and employees will interact with businesses and brands,” said Rouzbeh Aminpour, Global Retail Solution Engineering Manager, Google Cloud. “By utilizing Google Cloud’s leading gen AI capabilities, Zebra can help companies across industries empower their employees with better tools and new capabilities, making their work more productive.”

Bianculli will be joined by Aminpour and other leaders from Google Cloud and SAP to discuss how enterprises can reimagine document processing and understanding with generative AI during a breakout session at the Google Cloud Next event on April 11, 10:15-11am PDT. Full details can be found here.

ABOUT ZEBRA TECHNOLOGIES

Zebra (NASDAQ: ZBRA) helps organizations monitor, anticipate, and accelerate workflows by empowering their frontline and ensuring that everyone and everything is visible, connected and fully optimized. Our award-winning portfolio spans software to innovations in robotics, machine vision, automation and digital decisioning, all backed by a +50-year legacy in scanning, track-and-trace and mobile computing solutions. With an ecosystem of 10,000 partners across more than 100 countries, Zebra’s customers include over 80% of the Fortune 500. Newsweek recently recognized Zebra as one of America’s Most Loved Workplaces and Greatest Workplaces for Diversity, and we are on Fast Company’s list of the Best Workplaces for Innovators. Learn more at www.zebra.com or sign up for news alerts. Follow Zebra’s Your Edge blog, LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook, and check out our Story Hub: Zebra Perspectives.

ZEBRA and the stylised Zebra head are trademarks of Zebra Technologies Corp., registered in many jurisdictions worldwide. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Qualcomm is a trademark or registered trademark of Qualcomm Incorporated. Qualcomm branded products are products of Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and/or its subsidiaries. Qualcomm patented technologies are licensed by Qualcomm Incorporated. ©2024 Zebra Technologies Corp. and/or its affiliates.

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