Chatting to a virtual concierge in the Dock Innovation Hub is a disconcerting but oddly life-like experience. Called Adrian, the figure answers questions smoothly such as recommending a local restaurant or providing inter-city train times. Adrian has facial expressions and body movements that are realistic and remarkably human-like. Hilary O’Meara, the country managing director of Accenture in Ireland, introduces me to Adrian as part of a tour of its GenAI studio, one of 25 such centres it runs globally to service its clients which include some of the world’s biggest companies. The studios are the visible part of a $3…

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