Company offering AI-based consultancy launched

Muscat: The very first consultancy service that makes use of artificial intelligence (AI) was launched in Oman on Tuesday.
The company, Impact Integrated, was inaugurated by Oman LNG Foundation CEO, Sheikh Khalid Al Massan.
Impact Integrated founder and managing director (MD), Khalid Alhraithi claimed that it was a first of its kind venture in Middle East and North Africa (Mena).
He said that the firm was an innovation radar that helps nurture said innovations. He added that name of the device they use for the purpose is Salalah 10 X. It was developed and patented by the Khalid with the help of a company called ‘Invospark’.
“Ours is an innovation radar and innovation consultancy. We have four types of studios, which help see our design, plan and implementation stages of innovative projects. With these services, I want to unlock the potential of teams of organisations focused on continuous innovation.
“The device, Salalah 10 X itself, is a voice-activated chat bot that amplifies our natural intelligence and allows us to make better decisions,” Khalid remarked.
AI also provides the company with the ability to analyse copious amounts of data for their clients in a short space of time. This analysis would then aid the future decisions of the company. The same analysis if done manually, would take thousands of working hours and expert advice.
“Every organisation has a wealth of historical data, which we can use to judge the future and help make decisions. We gave this example of Oman’s 2020 mining vision. Salalah 10 X can go through the employment data in the sector and recommend employment suggestions, based on previous gaps. This, we can do, in 2 seconds. If done in the usual way, it would take 1,040 working hours and experts as well.
“Besides, the massive time consumption angle, we make the data analysis more simple and efficient, besides putting the decision-making into the hands of the teams themselves, along with our insights. This way, we empower the teams,” Khalid added.
The company MD said that Impact Integrated was unique in many ways. One of them is that it is catering to Omanis, he added.
“What is unique about this company is that now it provides Omani start-ups get an artificial intelligence solution through voice activation, for the first time.
“Also, we predict future trends and help people understand in which sector to invest: people, technology, systems, processes etc,” he remarked.
The Impact Integrated founder affirmed that this use of AI, among other developments does signal the advent of the fourth industrial revolution in Oman, but added that it wasn’t all doom and gloom.
“Of course, some jobs will be affected. For example, if call centres sack some people, they’ll be hiring people with a focus to better customer experience.
“Oman is lucky because we have thousands of graduates in Information Technology (IT) and business, who can create jobs, rather than ask for one,” Khalid remarked.