“Last week, we launched the Webex artificial intelligence (AI) agent to enhance user experience. (This is just the beginning) We plan to invest $1 billion (about 1.4675 trillion won) to develop various AI solutions in the future.”
David Coventry, managing director of Cisco's Asia Pacific, Japan, and China (APJC) institutional sector, noted on the 3rd at the 'Cisco Connect Korea 2025' event held at the Grand InterContinental Parnas Hotel in Gangnam, Seoul.
Cisco's Webex is a comprehensive collaboration solution for webinars, online meetings, and video conferencing. The Webex AI agent is designed to automatically respond to customer inquiries when Webex users experience discomfort or questions. It features natural language processing technology to instantly understand customer inquiries and respond as if it were conversing with a human. It can also perform the role of a virtual consultant by providing pre-set responses based on scripts.
On that day, Cisco unveiled a demo video showing the Webex AI agent interacting and conversing with a person. The demo video featured a man accessing a flower shop's website and saying, “I am looking to buy flowers but don’t know the exact name.” The Webex AI agent called the man directly to assist him. As the consumer described the appearance of the flower he was looking for using his voice, the Webex AI agent found an image, showed it to the consumer, confirmed the product, obtained delivery information, and facilitated the consolidation of payment.
Coventry emphasized, “Consumer satisfaction with voice recognition agents or chatbots that provide fragmented responses is very low. According to a survey, 94% of consumers said they would be willing to use AI if it could interact naturally like a person and quickly resolve issues.” He noted that “Cisco is focused on developing AI agents that can communicate like humans.”
Coventry mentioned that to provide an experience that feels like conversing with a human, Cisco's Webex AI agent supports everything from chatbots to image transmission and voice conversation. He stated, “The Webex AI agent enables natural interactions just like real humans on both voice and digital channels,” adding, “The AI agent we created not only accurately understands customers' intentions but also integrates with existing systems, such as the network and data center institutional sectors, to meet customer demands.” He further stated, “Under the banner of 'One Cisco,' we will invest in various AI solutions across business units to enhance customer experience.”
The Korean language support for the Webex AI agent is expected to begin in the 3rd quarter.