We are pleased to announce that Babbobox CEO, Alex Chan is appointed as Executive Committee Member of the SGTech 𝗔𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 & 𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵-𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗿.

Please click HERE for full announcement.

Expansion into United Kingdom

It's been a long journey, but Videospace has finally landed into United Kingdom.

All the rage now about ChatGPT and Google, but Videospace does one thing that both these platforms does NOT do - videos.

Our mission is simple - To unleash the true power of video.

Innovating with Viacom18

Thank you Viacom18 for the exclusive invitation to be part Viacom18 Innovation Week 2021.

We look forward to further partnership and collaboration to create a seismic shift in the media industry with Video Big Data!

Courtrooms of the Future – The Virtual Courtroom

Innovative ideas and rapidly advancing technology have changed the courts and affected the way hearings are conducted. The new generation of lawyers, along with court users’ demands to access information online, have driven the need for new courtroom technology.

Prior to this push for new technology, most processes and procedures in common law jurisdictions, particularly in terms of production of the court record, have changed little since Charles Dickens worked as a court stenographer in London in the early 19th century.

Most dramatically, the recent COVID-19 pandemic has been the catalyst for a fundamental, and likely permanent, shift in the methodology for carrying out hearings, particularly across multiple jurisdictions and with participants in many time zones.

Current challenges in the age of AI

While keeping with tradition, the court system has not really evolved much in the last 200 years, which means that an overhaul is long overdue.

While the court system has evolved alongside prominent technology, the age of artificial intelligence (AI) will bring unprecedented changes and benefits. The machines and AI that we have today are great at doing single, repetitive tasks: tasks with volume, that are transactional and have a definitive outcome. By allowing machines do these repetitive and mundane tasks, AI has the potential to lessen the labor crunch, lower court costs, and deliver mote integrated outcomes. This will eventually make it easier for people to have better access to justice.  We have to recognize that we are approaching this technological frontier. Our first task should be to identify suitable processes and put AI to work.

Technology advancements in the courts

For years, the courts in Australia have taken a proactive approach to codifying the requirements and parameters for the use of technology.  In fact, much of the development and innovation has stemmed from the requirements of Practice Notes issued by the courts. As far back as 2002, the Supreme Court of Victoria has issued a Practice Note (http://assets.justice.vic.gov.au//supreme/resources/25de055a-4ee9-443c-ac2a-2cfc94d75a60/practicenote-no1-2007_guidelinesforusetechnology.pdf) providing guidelines for the use of technology in civil litigation. The approach was driven by the recognition that the use of technology can save cost, increase access to justice, and streamline the courts’ workload. For example, Practice Note CM6 (http://www.fedcourt.gov.au/law-and-practice/practice-documents/practice-notes/cm6) from the Federal Court of Australia provides that “the Court expects the parties to a proceeding and their legal representatives to consider, at as early a stage in the proceeding as practicable, the use of technology in the management of documents and conduct of the proceeding”.

In 2015, the Hon. Marilyn Warren AC, then Chief Justice of Victoria, gave a speech entitled “Embracing Technology: The Way Forward for the Courts”.  She referred to many of the recent advancements in technology, discussed their practical impact in terms of the courts’ workload, and posited a scenario where an entire hearing could take place virtually.  She also outlined some of the more progressive options like picturing a court hearing that is entirely virtual: a judge presiding via videocall from chambers; barristers presenting arguments from theirs; witnesses giving evidence from their offices anywhere in the world, and jurors watching it all play out from another venue; or judge and jurors being taken by the prosecution on a virtual tour of a crime scene, as if they were actually in the accused’s shoes.

Her vision of a court system where nobody needs to attend court at all, and where all documents are filed, served, and viewed online at anytime from anywhere – a ‘paperless, people-less court’ – has been played out in the last year as parties to hearings have had to adapt to a virtual environment out of necessity, and to embrace technology faster and more comprehensively than anyone would have thought possible.

In the UK, case law such as the landmark Pyrrho Investments v MWB Property matter in 2016, saw the Court commend the use of technologies in disputes, such as AI in the form of predictive coding, to reduce time and costs for the review of over 3.1 million documents. In a subsequent matter, the same justification was used in Brown v BCA Trading Ltd when the Court ordered the use of predictive coding, despite objections from the Claimant. The use of predictive coding, rather than traditional document review, resulted in an estimated savings to be over £100,000.

It is also anticipated that a bill expected this year will pave the way for a new online civil court for smaller value matters, with much more simplified procedure rules. Supreme Court Justice Lord Briggs, in his final report on the proposals, has highlighted the advantages of online courts to make justice accessible to a much wider population.

Whilst technological adoption in UK court hearings has been slow, it is more common to see some technology driven initiatives such as electronic filing, the electronic presentation of evidence (EPE), and the examination of witnesses by video link. The events of 2020 expediated the move to virtual and hybrid hearings and the support of technology to facilitate their smooth running.

Digital audio and video recording

Since the 1950s, courts have had some way of recording proceedings, beginning with analogue tapes, then moving to digital audio recording in the 1990s. Many courtrooms around the world are equipped with the ability to create multi-channel digital audio recordings. Some of these courts are monitored and logged in person, some via CCTV or digital video camera on a centralised basis (i.e. from a control room within the building), and, many are now being monitored and logged remotely. For instance, the Fair Work Commission, a national federal agency with 35 courtrooms across Australia, is recorded and monitored from a central location in Melbourne. A team of monitors ensures that the recordings are up to the required standards and that notes or annotations are created.

Advancements in digital audio recording technology afforded the opportunity for court agencies to look at how they manage audio recordings, and providers are asked to provide online access to recorded audio with annotations within 15 minutes of the completion of the recording. This increases the importance of the annotations, as they now form the basis of searches carried out by court staff. Increasingly, the courts are also asking for online portals to enable court users to access, with permission, the audio and written transcripts from hearings they were involved in which they can do from their tablets and smartphones. This has also had the side-effect of reducing the amount of transcripts that are required to be produced, therefore reducing cost for government agencies.

In 2020, when court hearings were no longer taking place in person and court administrators were looking for ways to ensure the record could still be captured regardless of how the hearing was taking place, it became a requirement to be able to record hearings taking place via Teams, Zoom, and other video conferencing platforms.

Methodology for capturing the record

Audio transcription
Same day progressive, same day, next day, and longer turnaround transcription using QWERTY keyboards is routinely done, and audio recordings are transferred to teams of transcribers. However, access to the real-time feed gives lawyers the opportunity to follow a hearing remotely, either from a desktop or via a tablet or smartphone. There is room for all of these methodologies, depending on the requirements of the parties to the litigation as well as the nature of the litigation itself.

Real-time stenographers
Real-time court reporting is an in-demand service, particularly for long-running, complex hearings.  A real-time reporting team, consisting of a stenographer and editor, can now attend the hearing virtually, if necessary, to take down proceedings in court as the words are spoken. This enables the words to appear on screen within a few seconds. Stenographers are highly skilled and can write at up to 280 words a minute at very high levels of accuracy. 

Real time speech recognition
As the quality of output of speech recognition engines improves, coupled with innovative AI scripting, we will begin to see speech recognition entering the complex multi-speaker court environment as a “good enough” (and constantly improving) alternative to traditional court reporting services.

e-Hearings

Court hearings are increasingly taking place in an e-court environment, which is done to ensure the smooth running of every proceeding. An “e-hearing” is any hearing that encompasses the use of technology to assist in hearing preparation, but usually describes the technology provided within the hearing room to assist in the delivery and presentation of evidence to the court.  For instance, Practice Note SC Gen 5 from the Supreme Court of Victoria, issued on January 30, 2017 (http://assets.justice.vic.gov.au/supreme/resources/fba6720a-0cca-4eae-b89a-4834982ff391/gen5useoftechnology.pdf), in providing guidelines for the use of e-hearings in Victoria, puts the onus on parties “to satisfy the Court that the presentation of documentary evidence in electronic format is not appropriate.” The Practice Note also provides that “[i]n large scale litigation with a large amount of documentary evidence and where the trial is anticipated to extend over a period of ten or more sitting days, engagement of a third-party provider to operate a coordinated system is considered proportionate. In such cases, parties should be engaging at an early stage with each other, the Court and the agreed third-party provider to develop a protocol for the conduct of the trial and the use of technology”.

In the e-hearing environment, documents are displayed onscreen as they are referred to within the hearing, or are live-linked within the real-time transcript, and can be annotated, enlarged, or rotated for viewing by participants. The entirety of the proceeding is often video streamed via the internet, thus enabling widespread public access.  

In 2020, as it became necessary to carry out virtual hearings, e-hearing services seamlessly moved to a virtual environment, with the evidence being presented via videoconferencing platform, and providers began to supply an additional “concierge” service to facilitate participation in the hearing and enable the use of features like breakout rooms.

If there is one lesson to be learned from COVID, it is that the world can still thrive virtually, including the courts. Perhaps there will never be the need for a completely online environment for all hearings, but the future is definitely a hybrid of remote and in-person. While the courts have been forced to adapt and use generic video-conferencing platforms, the reality is that these platforms are far from ideal. What is truly needed is a video-conferencing platform that is fully integrated with the court hearing system that provides the required level of security and integrity along with elements of the formality of the full courtroom experience. Combining that with AI to enrich the content will be nothing short of revolutionary.

e-Filing

Courts worldwide have moved towards the use of e-filing systems, which enable parties to file their matters electronically. These systems form the front end, which then flows automatically to the case management system within the courts’ own network. Many of the e-filings systems are not ideal, moreover, they are a nod to electronic filing, akin to taking a traditional hard copy filing and scanning and producing “electronically.” There is little consistency in various courts or arbitration filing requirements or formats; some needing each file or folder to be a single PDF, others with more flexible submission options.  Court documents equally evolve and files change with additions and removals. But it’s a start! It is easy to see how this could subsequently be augmented with matter-number-specific documents and files – including audio files and transcripts – related to the hearing. This data would then become part of a repository of information about each hearing, which can then ultimately be accessible by court users. Use of cloud-based technology also enables greater flexibility in allowing full, real-time access to this information.

e-Discovery

The ability to search huge volumes of audio files with their corresponding transcripts, case matters document, and files remains the holy grail for e-discovery. Current search technologies allow users to search and retrieve transcripts. This allows the courts to know “what” is being said. However, by allowing the courts to search audio, the courts will be able to hear “how” things are said. With an explosion of e-hearings due to COVID, the courts now must handle increasing volumes of video recordings. With videos, we can visually see “what” and “how” things are said. This potentially opens up a Pandora’s box for experts and AI to analyze various behavioral aspects of “who” is speaking. However, for all these possibilities to happen, the courts need an AI-infused e-Discovery system to handle the volume of mixed-media digital assets.

The need to adapt

While recent innovations have taken place out of necessity, and a certain informality has been introduced to proceedings as result, it is likely that more formality in virtual proceedings will start to be required and that this will impact the functionality of the technology. Early experiments had already been taking place to create “distributed courtrooms” which is where participants meet within the same virtual space, all appearing from courtrooms or courtroom-like spaces and placed as they would be in a traditional courtroom. Other add-ons to video conferencing services that are specific to the courtroom environment and tailored to the formal legal process will cement the usability of such platforms and enable far greater flexibility in carrying out hearings in future.

While the pandemic has forced many proceedings to go virtual, it is more likely that the courtroom of the future will be a hybrid - a mix of physical and virtual environments. This means that the tools, processes, and technologies used will have to adapt to this new environment. This will require a human-centric approach and carefully planned change management.

All stakeholders, industry players, tools and technologies must adapt to the new normal. This process of adaptation will be disruptive.

Additional benefits

Aside from the efficiency and costs savings realized with the adoption of new and emerging technologies to assist with hearings, there are many additional benefits.

Businesses and law firms are focusing much more on their Corporate and Social Responsibility programs and environmental policies. Remote and hybrid hearings reduce unnecessary travel, particularly for global arbitration matters where parties can be based all over the world.  The use of electronic bundling tools and streaming realtime transcription reduces the use of paper.

Feedback from court users highlights the increased accessibility of global expert witnesses for remote hearings, where in person attendance is not required; likewise, for interpreters and other contributors that may be required for their matters.

These soft benefits will no doubt form part of the argument to keep some hearing practices as hybrid or remote as the world emerges from the pandemic.

Conclusion

The age of AI is inevitable. We have two choices: we can live in denial, hang onto the status quo or simply embrace it. Like any tool, AI can affect us positively or negatively. Therefore, it is of utmost importance that multiple stakeholders come together to ensure that whatever technologies used will impact the course of justice positively.

The rapid development of technology, and the time and cost savings from using it will inevitably mean that there will be further pressure on the courts to increase efficiencies to enable access to justice. As technology advances, we can expect to see further changes to the traditional courtroom.  While technology may change the look of the courts, they will continue to perform the same essential role, the administration of justice, in an increasingly efficient way.

This article is co-authored by:

• Charlotte Pache, SVP International Court Reporting, Epiq,

• Lorraine Medcraft, Senior Director, Trial Solutions, Epiq,

• Alex Chan, CEO, Babbobox

Using AI to promote Singapore start-ups with Videospace

Besides naming Babbobox as one of the top start-ups for FUTURE of ENTERPRISE AI, Enterprise Singapore has adopted our Video AI platform - Videospace, to promote Singapore start-ups.

Jointly organised by Enterprise Singapore and the Monetary Authority of Singapore, Deal Fridays is a platform for dealmaking opportunities as a lead up to the Singapore FinTech Festival (SFF) x Singapore Week of Innovation and Technology (SWITCH) 2020.

Using various video AI from Videospace, the team from Deal Friday is able to reduce manual processes by 8 to 10 times, while providing benefits where only AI can provide, like deep video search.

“We are delighted to be named as one of Singapore’s top start-ups” Alex Chan, CEO of Babbobox “The bigger validation is that Enterprise Singapore recognises our value proposition and adopted Videospace . We are proud to become part of the Deal Fridays programme and eco-system in promoting Singapore’s top start-ups.”

Announcement: Babbobox named as one of the top start-ups for Enterprise AI

We are delighted to be named as one of the top start-ups for Future of Enterprise AI by Enterprise Singapore.

Considering that we are still a relatively small team, we are delighted to be acknowledged for the work that we’ve done.

We would really like to thank the team at Enterprise Singapore for this recognition and their effort in promoting Babbobox internationally under the Deal Fridays programme where we are featured here (http://dealfridays.videospace.co/vod/video.aspx…)

Keep Calm and Carry on Part 3 - 360 Videos (Beta)

This COVID-19 period is proving to be one of our most innovative periods ever. Our foray into 360 Videos is our third beta in 3 months after:

• Translated Machine Speech (announced on 13 April)

• Live Transcription (announced on 12 May)

360 videos is the way to go if you want to do a virtual tour or an interactive immersive experience. 

We are delighted to announce that Videospace will be supporting 360 videos on our enterprise grade video platform. 360 videos, also known as immersive or spherical videos, are video recordings where a view in every direction is recorded at the same time. Research shows there are clear benefits of 360 degree video content:

• the unlimited possibility it gives to viewers and content creators

• encourages engagement

• over 3 times the conversion rate of traditional video content

• over 30% higher repeated view rate.

• 70% who have used 360 videos say it has increased engagement

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Need 360 content production? Fret not!

We are partnering iMMERSiVELY for cutting edge 360 video content production. iMMERSiVELY is a creative startup specialising in immersive media technologies – producing applications and solutions for businesses across various industries. From Augmented and Virtual reality content and technology development, to 360° content production and more, iMMERSiVELY harnesses these technologies to advance communication, innovation, story narratives and in education.

“We are excited about this partnership because this partnership opens up new opportunities and frontiers for both Babbobox and iMMERSiVELY.” says Babbobox CEO, Alex Chan. “Both companies believe that this partnership will only strengthen and solidify our pioneers status in the virtual and media industry”.

AIspace COVID-19 Support Programme

These are difficult times. We are partnering Ricoh Asia Pacific to make the AIspace COVID-19 Support Program available in nine Asian countries - Australia, Hong Kong, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.

AIspace is an enterprise storage, collaboration and document management platform that is infused with Artificial Intelligence. This COVID-19 Support Package consist of: 5 Users Accounts, 50 GB Storage, 500 Document AI credits, 500 Image AI credits.

Note: Package terminates automatically after 3 months free usage. Therefore, this is 100% obligation free!

KEY FEATURES AND BENEFITS

World’s First Unified Search Engine
World’s first platform that allow you to “Search Everything” (deep search inside documents, images, audio and video)

Document A.I. (Natural Language Processing)
summaries main document points without the need to read documents!

Image A.I. (Computer Vision)
recognizes thousands of objects and scenes to make image instantly searchable!

Video A.I (Speech Recognition)
Enabling your to deep search videos! (Launching in June)

Collaboration Suite 
Collaborate and share files securely internally and externally.

Document Life-cycle (with version control)
Full-featured Document Management System.

Military-grade security
multiple layers of military grade security to ensure the security of your data.

Our response to COVID-19 - A message from our CEO

Hi!

Some weeks ago, we launched our first response to COVID-19 with Videospace's "The show must go on!" message. The objective is to reach out to businesses which might need a video platform to ensure business continuity. We were encouraged by the response, so we went back and spoke to a business partner about making an another impact, in another area.

Hence, before we officially launch our second response to COVID-19 with the AIspace Support Programme, I would like to acknowledge Ricoh Asia Pacific for this partnership. 

I would like to extend a big THANK YOU to the team at Ricoh Asia Pacific for believing in our cause, and putting resources to make this COVID-19 support programme possible throughout Asia. Allow me to quote myself in my first response... 

“In times like this... I believe we need to help each other to ride this out. Business is an eco-system, no one wins by being the last one standing. I much rather we stand together till the end of this crisis."  Alex Chan, Babbobox CEO

That is the Power of Partnership!

In the meantime, please stay tuned as we make our final preparations and make the announcement in the coming days. 

I wish you the best of health. Stay indoors! Stay safe!

Yours sincerely,
 
Alex Chan
CEO, Babbobox

KEEP CALM and CARRY ON Part II - Video Live Transcription (Beta)

About a month ago, we launched our first beta (Translated Machine Speech) during this COVID-19 period. Barely a month passed, we are at it again! This time, our beta is Video Live Transcription. This is done while delivering video via live-streaming in high definition.

That’s our CEO, Alex doing a test live-stream from home.

Hang on… you might think. Isn’t this been done before? The answer would be yes. We have probably experienced some form of live transcribing before on TV or on video conferencing platforms. BUT doing this for a live video event on a live-stream is a totally different matter.

Those who can deliver this is limited a handful of broadcasters with specialized equipment. Also, if budget is not a problem, one can even get a team of human transcribers to provide live captions. However, this also means it’s expensive and not exactly scalable. That’s the reason why we don’t see live transcribing much at all on broadcast or live-streaming.

Just ask anyone in broadcast, they would appreciate the difficulties in delivering a service like this. Getting the live transcription is one thing, but getting the live caption or subtitles in sync with the video and audio feed is a totally thing.

Providing live captions has the following benefits:

• Improves Accessibility - especially for hearing-impaired. Making your event more inclusive.

• Increases Engagement - provide better comprehension of what is said

• Improves Comprehension - longer view times and more interaction with your brand

So this is what this beta is about. It is to provide these benefits with a simple and highly affordable video live transcription service along with your live-stream.

If you this might be useful to you, please write to me! Or forward this to someone whom you think might be useful. Please note that my COVID-19 message applies. 

Yours sincerely,

Alex Chan
CEO, Babbobox