Glass Times hosts Haydock Race Day
It was fantastic to catch up with so many industry friends and colleagues at the Glass Times Race Day at Haydock last week.
The Glass Times’ Race Days really are one of the highlights of the industry calendar, and well over 400 people were in attendance at sunny Haydock, presenting a perfect opportunity to enjoy a day at a superb venue after what has been a very busy six months for many.
And if you missed out, Glass Times is hosting its ‘southern’ Race Day at Epsom on 14 September. We currently still have one race still available for sponsorship – as well as a handful of tables – so if you’d like to book your place then contact Andy Westhead on 07966 468772.
Embracing AI
I had lots of great conversations at Haydock, but one that really stood out for me was with the GGF’s senior technical officer, David Borland.
The rise of Artificial Intelligence, and its potential influence on the industry, is a real talking point at the moment and David is the second person I’ve met in as many weeks who has opened my eyes to how it is already making a positive impact.
In this case, David showed me a video that has recently been put together for GGF members, highlighting the launch of a new group for the glazing executive.
Nothing new there, you might say, but in this case, the whole thing had been generated by AI – including the female presenter.
You might be expecting an artificially generated presenter to look somewhat – well, ‘artificial’ – but in this case, apart from a slightly ‘robotic’ voice, it would be impossible to tell that she wasn’t in fact a real person.
According to David, setting up the video was pretty straightforward, with no complex coding required, and there was even a choice of virtual presenters, and languages, to choose from.
For a bit extra, you can even upload a virtual avatar of a real person – for instance a company representative – who could then be directed what to say by the software.
Make no mistake, many experts have warned against the power of AI, but seeing it applied so impressively and in such a practical way, was the perfect demonstration of how it is already making inroads into our industry.
Look out for a more detailed article in Glass Times soon…
