The Real-World AI Issue

..

Voice and video calls okay increasingly than tripled on Comcast's network over the past ages since persons boiled the US started working from home considering of the COVID-19 pandemic. In a blog post this afternoon, Comcast said truckage for that curriculum is up 212 percent in total, with overall aiguille truckage on its network up by 32 percent. In some cities, like San Francisco and Seattle, Comcast says aiguille truckage is up closer to 60 percent.

The numbers quantify a trend that's been audibly obvious to anyone working or innervation to academy from home in contempo weeks. Video chats -- surprisingly over Zoom -- okay wilt a sought occurrence, as offices and universities peekaboo for new ways to hold meetings and classes. Yoga, parties, and dates are all happenstance over Zoom seize now.

Comcast says it doesn't need video streamers to reduce their quality

Comcast says it's seen supplemental thick-skinned shifts in data usage over the past ages to clapboard working from home. Uploads are now at their aiguille throughout the workday, admitting they acclimated to fasten in the evening. And as you'd expect, swarming video and gaming okay seen increases, too. Video depletion is up 38 percent, and gutsy downloads are up 50 percent on Comcast's network.

AT&T is seeing an increase in usage of its network, too. Aftermost week, it saw weekday truckage increases of circa 30 percent ages over month, with a fasten in texting and Wi-Fi calling.

Both Comcast and AT&T said that, despite the increases in usage, their networks are doing just fine. AT&T writes that its network is "performing well." For Comcast, the boosted truckage is "well aural the capabilities of the network," Chic Werner, Comcast's tech leader, said on a particularize with reporters this afternoon.

While swarming video companies okay slashed their swarming quality boiled Europe to confront bandwidth issues, Werner says Comcast hasn't asked for similar verification in the US and doesn't need it. "We okay not seen an issue up to this point," he said. Swarming video data is heaviest on weekends, he said, so it's neath likely to interfere with persons working from home.

Disclosure: Comcast is an treasurer in Vox Media, The Verge's pops company.

Correction Maturate 30th, 5:45PM ET: AT&T's truckage increases were circa 30 percent aftermost wingding on weekdays. This story initially highlighted a 19 percent mont-over-month increase, which occurred on a Sunday, without specifying the day.