The guest of the open studio of Komsomolskaya Pravda at the Eastern Economic Forum was the deputy head of the Russian Post for digital transformation Dmitry Chudinov. And we talked with him about whether there is a place for artificial intelligence in the modern postman.
“I would suggest that we should not discuss artificial intelligence in its classical form, but rather a certain symbiosis between people and technology,” Dmitry Chudinov replied. – These technologies are designed to help with automation and those problems that are difficult for people to handle alone. The Post Office has been using artificial intelligence for a long time. In particular, computer vision in sorting centres. This is necessary to recognise the text written on the envelope. Manually – quite slow and expensive. We have five automated centres that use this technology to ensure that letters are sorted instantly.
– Does it even recognize handwritten text?
– Included. But this is not always possible. The most important thing in this case is that the index, written by hand, is easily recognizable, since it is written using a special template. Automated sorting centers use it, recognize it and sort it. The cost of manual and automatic sorting speed differs not two or three times, but an order of magnitude higher. A machine can instantly perform operations that a person would spend much more time on, because it is necessary to read, think, understand, and this takes much more time.
PREVENT LEAKS, REDUCE THREATS
– What about cybersecurity?
– We have implemented artificial intelligence systems to search for malware and zero-day cybersecurity vulnerabilities. We discuss this topic with developers and implement their solutions for using artificial intelligence. For example, current technologies allow us to search for anomalies; they integrate a large number of factors and parameters that can tell us that in a given case there is a potential leak or threat. This information then goes to our situation center, where people process it. On the one hand, for us this means a reduction in costs. On the other hand, it increases the speed of response and reduces the threats that may exist.
– Are we talking about a database leak?
– Yes, as well as any commercial or personal information. We are in the active stage of implementing these technologies and are already working with them.
– Where else have you managed to minimize human involvement?
– For example, we have a system that allows us to calculate work schedules. It can automatically report on a country-wide level how many hours each employee should work. And artificial intelligence in this case works as a predictive model, a predictive function. It tells what volume of what product and at what time should be in a particular department. The post office is not the only one; many retail chains use this system, and we will complete the implementation of this system in 2024.
“YOU’RE NOT COMING”
– Let’s imagine a situation where I haven’t been to a Russian post office for ten years. What will surprise me?
– Well, first of all, to receive postal services, it is not necessary to go to the branch, just download our mobile offer. By the way, we recently updated it and will continue to improve it periodically, taking into account all the requirements of customers. Just a month ago on Android and a few weeks ago on iOS we released an update. And now the company’s clients can solve many problems remotely. It is not even necessary to drop the letter in the mailbox. The client can print it, sign it, take a photo, attach a scan and send an email. Russian Post will print the letter, pack it and send it. And if the recipient is integrated with Mail, he will be able to receive it electronically. In this case, the letter itself will have legal significance. This is a hybrid mail technology or completely digital mail. Mail should connect the state, people and businesses. This is one of the important technological changes that have taken place.
We recently introduced a QR code. You will not need a shipping number to receive your parcel. Show the QR code to the post office employee and he will understand what items need to be delivered. You do not need a passport or any documents. Now we are moving towards more advanced technologies. For example, in the near future we will launch electronic power of attorney services and changes in retention periods. Our key task is to use modern technologies to make mail more convenient for customers, thereby increasing the efficiency of the company.
THE ROBOT WILL NOT REPLACE THE POSTMAN YET
– Do you use robotic delivery?
– We conducted a pilot project on robotic delivery together with Yandex. The project fulfilled its goal: it confirmed that robotic delivery is possible. However, any new technology must meet the basic needs of customers and the company. Robotic delivery is still an emerging technology, although it is undoubtedly the future. As a digital manager, I definitely say “yes” to these technologies, but at the current stage of our development we need to wait a little longer.
– How do you see the Russian Post in ten years from the perspective of digitalization?
– One of the key tasks of strategic digital transformation is the multiple reduction of the number of specialists engaged in routine operations and not production. Yes, our values are the people who deliver mail to residents. And although the robot will definitely not replace them everywhere. However, we need to focus on those things that we can automate. I won’t say that we are doing something radically new, but we are definitely on the trend here. This applies to forecasting models, response models, and automation of routine processes in HR, finance, and economics.
