Cicero Speaks: AI Roleplay, Real Conversations, and the Future of Workplace Training - Doug Stephen

Tech Snippets Today with Joseph Raczynski

This is a fascinating discussion today about the advancement of chatbots with real value. I speak with Doug Stephen - President, Enterprise Learning Division, CGS and their new product, Cicero.
In a world of Agentic AI, chatbots like Sesame that have real-time interactions, with humanlike voice, intonation, and seemingly empathy, today we get to see this sort of technology in an iteration that helps people use an unscripted, customizable roleplay platform that dramatically enhances workplace training, powered by AI/XR.
Here’s the gist: think about the most difficult conversation you’ve ever had at work. Maybe it was a delicate conversation with a boss or colleague. Now imagine being able to practice that conversation in a risk-free, AI-driven environment. That’s Cicero.
Doug Stephen, who joined CGS in 1998 and leads the enterprise Learning, Channel and TeamworkAR™ divisions, has more than 20 years of industry experience. He was promoted to President of the enterprise Learning division in 2019, responsible for the division’s development, sales, operations and growth globally. He and his team created one of the first software as a service (SaaS) platforms dedicated to providing hosted learning systems to Fortune 500 companies. Mr. Stephen helped conceptualize, design and implement one of the largest virtual business communities supporting over 10,000 business partners, which resulted in the Gold Brandon Hall Award for Excellence. The CGS Learning team offers robust, agile, multi-touch, multi-approach programs that integrate across platforms, technologies and learning styles to help drive employee performance and business initiatives.
Mr. Stephen oversees a proven program of channel partner recruitment, engagement, enablement and sales activation strategies, delivering substantial incremental partner sales for large and medium IT vendors. Through the CGS Channel Management division, his team manages programs for some of the world’s leading IT vendors and customers gain substantial incremental partner sales through effective recruitment, engagement, enablement and nurture programs.
Mr. Stephen is well-known in the industry, having written articles and been quoted for such publications as CLO, Forbes, TrainingIndustry.com, Huffington Post and Information Week.

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