HGS launches its AI Hub in Manila to boost digital experience for clients

MANILA, Philippines and SYDNEY, Oct. 18, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Hinduja Global Solutions (HGS) (listed on BSE & NSE), a leading provider of solutions in digital experience, business process management (BPM) and digital media services, today launched a state-of-the-art 'HGS AI Hub' in Manila, Philippines to boost digital experience for its clients. This hub will serve as an interactive space where clients, partners, and employees can leverage advanced technologies to co-create digital solutions.

The HGS AI Hub is a unique facility in the Philippines, offering an immersive experience with digital technologies such as automation, analytics, AI, virtual reality, visual AI, and speech AI, all under one roof. Clients can interact with various technologies in real-time, providing an ideal setting for leveraging design thinking techniques to reimagine customer experience and develop practical solutions.

The HGS AI Hub was inaugurated by distinguished dignitaries, including His Excellency Harsh Kumar Jain, Ambassador of India to the Republic of Philippines; Partha DeSarkar, Group CEO – HGS; Pushkar Misra, President and CEO - HGS APAC; Mon Ibrahim, Executive Member National Innovation Council Philippines, and other senior HGS leaders.

His Excellency, Harsh Kumar Jain, Ambassador of India to the Republic of Philippines added, "I'm delighted to attend the inauguration of the HGS AI Hub in Manila - a testament to the city's growing global business prominence. HGS has been a major contributor to the Philippines' BPO industry providing jobs as well as driving innovation. Manila's vibrant energy and talent pool make it the ideal location for HGS' success. I commend them for their dedication to fostering positive impact on the business landscape by leveraging technology solutions."

Pushkar Misra, President & CEO, HGS APAC, said, "Innovation is more than just a new idea; it's the courage to challenge the status quo and the drive to find better ways of doing things. Our AI Hub in Manila is a testament to this commitment. With this hub, we aim to bring together the best people from across HGS to develop innovative solutions that champion every moment for our clients. The hub is fully equipped to offer technology-led solutions that meet current needs and pave the way for future customer experience journeys."

The hub will showcase platforms such as HGS Agent X, Computer Vision, Speech and Text Analytics, Robotic Automation, and web development capabilities, along with leading-edge partner products.

About Hinduja Global Solutions (HGS):

A global leader in optimizing the customer experience lifecycle, digital transformation, business process management, and digital media ecosystem, HGS is helping its clients become more competitive every day. HGS' core BPM business combines automation, analytics, and artificial intelligence with deep domain expertise focusing on digital customer experiences, back-office processing, contact centers, and HRO solutions. HGS' digital media business, NXTDIGITAL (www.nxtdigital.in), is India's premier integrated Digital Delivery Platforms Company delivering services via satellite, digital cable and broadband to over 6 million customers across 1,500 cities and towns.

Part of the multi-billion-dollar conglomerate Hinduja Group, HGS takes a "globally local" approach. HGS has 18,036 employees in nine countries, including 32 delivery centers, making a difference to some of the world's leading brands across verticals. For the year ended March 31, 2024, HGS had total income of Rs. 5,087.8 crore (US$ 614.5 million). Visit https://hgs.cx to learn how HGS transforms customer experiences and builds businesses for the future.

** The press release content is from PR Newswire. Bastille Post is not involved in its creation. **

HGS launches its AI Hub in Manila to boost digital experience for clients

New research shows microbes are evolving to resist cleaners used to eliminate them. It also identifies novel strains living in Hong Kong that were previously only found in Antarctic desert soil.

SUZHOU, China, Oct. 18, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- After the recent pandemic, our use of disinfectants has increased, but are our efforts to create sterile urban environments backfiring?

A new study published in the journal Microbiome has identified novel strains of microbes that have adapted to use the limited resources available in cities and shown that our everyday behaviour is changing the makeup of microorganisms in indoor environments.

"Built environments offer distinct conditions that set them apart from natural and engineered habitats," says Dr Xinzhao Tong, an assistant professor at Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU), China, and lead author of the study.

"Areas with many buildings are low in the traditional nutrients and essential resources microbes need for survival, so these built environments have a unique microbiome.

"Our use of cleaning and other manufactured products creates a unique setting that puts selective pressures on microbes, which they must adapt to or be eliminated, but the mechanisms by which microbes adapt and survive in built environments are poorly understood," Dr Tong explains.

The researchers collected 738 samples from a variety of built environments, including subways, residences, public facilities, piers and human skin in Hong Kong. They then used shotgun metagenomic sequencing to analyse the microbes' genomic content and understand how they have adapted to the challenging urban conditions.

The team identified 363 microbial strains that have not been previously identified that live on our skin and the environment around us. Some of these strains' genomes contained genes for metabolising manufactured products found in cities and using them as carbon and energy sources. This includes the discovery of a strain of Candidatus phylum Eremiobacterota, previously only reported in Antarctic desert soil.

Dr Tong says: "The genome of this novel strain of Eremiobacterota enables it to metabolise ammonium ions found in cleaning products. The strain also has genes for alcohol and aldehyde dehydrogenases to break down residual alcohol found in common disinfectants.

"Microbes possessing enhanced capabilities to utilise limited resources and tolerate manufactured products, such as disinfectants and metals, out-compete non-resistant strains, enhancing their survival and even evolution within built environments. They could, therefore, pose health risks if they are pathogenic."

** The press release content is from PR Newswire. Bastille Post is not involved in its creation. **

City microbes surviving on disinfectants, research reveals