BT Group teamed with French IT company Atos to launch an AI-powered system the pair claimed can revolutionise industries, as the operator makes progress with a wider £100 million push focused on enterprise.

In a statement, BT explained Digital Vision uses computer vision technology, a field of AI enabling computers and systems to interpret information from images, videos and other visual feeds. It can then take automated actions or make recommendations based on the information.

To develop the service, BT combined its 5G and FTTx multi-access connectivity and edge computing offering with Atos’ computer vision platform, which provides trained and customisable AI models developed by more than 300 experts in laboratories around the world.

BT pointed out AI video and image analysis was used in applications spanning transport safety and traffic monitoring, quality control in manufacturing and location tracking.

Digital Vision is designed to improve security and monitoring for customers by enabling effective, real-time use of video and image data.

£100M pledge
The move comes four months after BT announced a pledge to invest £100 million over three years into its Division X unit, which sits within its enterprise business.

BT is using Division X to integrate technologies including 5G, IoT, edge compute, cloud and AI within a range of industries.

Marc Overton, MD for Division X, said the partnership with Atos gave it access to the computer vision market for the first time and provides it an opportunity “to play an even bigger role in the digital transformation of businesses around the world”.