At first glance, real estate may seem like one of the industries least affected by the internet and new technology. After all, constructing and maintaining buildings had been done perfectly well long before the advent of the Internet. However, underneath the bricks and concrete, buildings feature highly complex systems that need to be constantly monitored and maintained. Traditionally, this has been a manual, costly, and inefficient process, in which problems often undiscovered and repairs not made until it’s too late, lead to incidents such as floods and explosions.

“The Netguru take on…” series explains how Netguru approaches important subjects that are often overused or misunderstood in the industry such as values, innovation, and sustainability. We break them down to shift the discussion from abstract concepts to tangible actions that influence our everyday work. This article gives our take on research and development.

A bot is a computer program that automates a task. Chatbots are, therefore, programs that automate conversation, both voice and text. In essence, a chatbot can simulate an intelligent conversation with a human. They generally make use of machine learning to gather conversational rhythm, beat and flow, and thus mimic human conversation.

The buzz surrounding GPT-3, the most powerful language model ever built, has been pretty spectacular. Some experts warn us of the dangers AI technology can introduce, such as more lifelike generated content slipping into the already chaotic online news and social media spaces. But what is GPT-3? Is it really dangerous and does it deserve the hype that’s generated around it? Let’s find out.

The use of chatbots has exploded in recent years. Companies are taking advantage of these AI-powered virtual agents to automate routine processes and give consumers round the clock attention in areas like customer service, payments, and marketing. And now, chatbots are set to make a mark on the healthcare industry.  According to analysis by Crunchbase, more than $800 million has been invested across at least 14 known startups developing a health chatbot offering.

If I ask you to give 5 reasons to participate in an IT project - what would they be? If the project were commercial - probably money and fame. The technology stack and industry seem to also be important factors. In case of open source initiatives, we would probably count Github stars and LinkedIn publications as well. What if I told you I just experienced a different perspective?

Netguru obtained the B Corporation™ certificate granted to organizations whose previous business activities have been verified in terms of their positive impact on society and the environment. The company has joined the community of over 3,200 companies in the world that have committed to developing a sustainable economy model. We would like to use it as an invitation for other organizations to join us and drive the global movement of using business as a force for good.

Snowflake is a data-warehousing platform we use at Netguru to create outstanding and profitable big data products for our clients. The startup based in San Mateo (California) has just received a $479 million late round of funding. The newest series raises the capital to $1.42 billion, and more surprisingly, boosts the company's valuation to $12.4 billion. Snowflake has just entered the exclusive list of the top 20 most valuable global unicorns (privately held tech companies) and the top 10 most expensive US unicorns. What makes Snowflake so special?

More than ever before, sustainability becomes a serious matter that impacts everyone on the planet. We believe every organization - including our own - should take responsibility. That’s why we decided to introduce R&D for Good, a program leveraging our smart innovation expertise to support non-governmental organizations in their digital journeys.